Market report · Birmingham, AL
The State of Outbound Sales in Birmingham, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Birmingham, AL metro right now: who the buyers are, which trades have room, what is being built, what a rep costs to hire here. Then a 4-tool kit to work the market this month.
- 2,872business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #52 of our 100 metros
- 4.7buyer sites per commercial cleaning company, #24 of 100 markets: the best rank of any trade here
Sites: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; rank among the 100 metros on our market pages. Room: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 sites per contractor in U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1, among markets with at least 10 contractors.
Executive summary Read this if nothing else
5 things to know about outbound sales in Birmingham
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 808 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Birmingham, ahead of retail stores (605).
Where the metro leans
Hosting and data processing companies: 1.67x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: bank and credit union offices (1.56x) and auto dealerships (1.37x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial: #24 of 100 markets
4.7 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 233 local commercial cleaning companies. The most crowded is commercial electrical, #97 of 100.
Biggest reason to call
UAB Biomedical Research and Psychology Building, $190 million
Under construction, completion expected summer 2026. One of 7 named, sourced projects in this report.
Hiring locally
$124,700 for an in-house SDR's first year (illustrative)
At a $55,000 base salary, once commission, payroll taxes and benefits, tools, recruiting and training, turnover and manager time are added, before ramp time.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1; project sources as of 2026-09; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Full list at the end.
Chapter 01 The market
Who buys in Birmingham
2,872 business sites in Birmingham have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #52 of the 100 metros we publish. Here is what those buyers are and where they sit.
The largest buyer categories
Sites with 20 or more people are the ones worth an SDR's time: big enough to have a facility lead, a service budget and a contract that comes up for renewal. The "vs. U.S. mix" column compares each category's share of local employment with its national share (1.00x is the U.S. average).
| Category | Sites with 20+ | All sites | vs. U.S. mix | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RestaurantsLargest pool | 808 | 2,203 | 1.15x | +112 |
| Retail stores | 605 | 4,055 | 1.34x | +46 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 341 | 2,226 | 1.15x | +197 |
| Wholesale distributors | 305 | 1,552 | 1.26x | +93 |
| Manufacturing plants | 293 | 890 | 1.20x | +39 |
| Grocery stores | 115 | 444 | 0.69x | +13 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 113 | 1,104 | 0.35x | +4 |
| Senior living and nursing | 93 | 167 | 0.67x | +9 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 76 | 851 | 1.56x | +45 |
| Trucking companies | 72 | 411 | 1.07x | +12 |
Birmingham leans toward hosting and data processing companies (1.67x), bank and credit union offices (1.56x) and auto dealerships (1.37x). A trade that already sells to those buyers elsewhere has a deeper pool here than the national numbers suggest, and a case study from one of them travels well on the phone.
It is thinner than the U.S. mix in churches and religious organizations (0.35x) and private K-12 schools (0.64x). A program built around those buyers runs out of fresh accounts sooner here.
Growing fastest over the past year, by establishment count: medical, dental and outpatient offices (+197), restaurants (+112) and wholesale distributors (+93). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Birmingham, AL: 7 counties in this report's counts.
Jefferson County, Shelby County and St. Clair County hold 89% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson CountyStart here | 1,922 | 67% |
| Shelby County | 499 | 17% |
| St. Clair County | 123 | 4% |
| Walker County | 113 | 4% |
| Chilton County | 57 | 2% |
| Blount County | 40 | 1% |
| Bibb County | 9 | 0% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Birmingham
Buyer sites per contractor is a rough read on how crowded a trade is: more sites for each local competitor means more doors nobody else is knocking on. Each trade's Birmingham figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Cleaning & JanitorialMost room | #24 of 100 | 4.7 | 233 | +15 |
| Managed Service Providers | #33 of 100 | 3.4 | 499 | +40 |
| Commercial Landscaping | #47 of 100 | 3.8 | 410 | -4 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #66 of 94 | 36 | 42 | +3 |
| Commercial Construction | #72 of 100 | 3.4 | 247 | +20 |
| Commercial Roofing | #75 of 89 | 45 | 32 | -4 |
| Commercial Flooring | #60 of 68 | 44 | 20 | 0 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #82 of 86 | 37 | 38 | +1 |
| Fire Protection | #92 of 96 | 23 | 66 | +8 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #96 of 100 | 5.1 | 181 | +7 |
| Commercial Electrical | #97 of 100 | 5.0 | 242 | +4 |
Commercial cleaning & janitorial (#24), managed service providers (#33) and commercial landscaping (#47) rank best in Birmingham. For those trades a program can work longer before it calls the same building twice, and fewer competitors have already pitched each owner.
Commercial electrical is the most crowded trade here, #97 of 100: 5.0 buyer sites for each of 242 local electrical contractors. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Commercial landscaping (-4) and commercial roofing (-4) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Managed service providers (+40) and commercial construction (+20) added them.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Birmingham yet. We take one client per trade per territory, so ask before you plan around it.
Chapter 03 The projects
What is being built, and who owns the buildings
7 named, sourced projects and 7 anchor owners in Birmingham. Each one is a reason to call that has nothing to do with your company and everything to do with the buyer's building.
The projects
- 01 · $190 million UAB Biomedical Research and Psychology Building Under construction, completion expected summer 2026 An eight-story, 228,735 sq ft research building with wet and dry labs for the Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology on the UAB campus in Birmingham. Lab buildings carry dense HVAC, exhaust and electrical systems. As the building moves into occupancy, demand shifts to lab-grade cleaning, mechanical service and fire protection inspections. The Birmingham Times, 2026-01-23
- 02 · $110 million Andrews Sports Medicine Center at Brookwood Village Approved December 2025, opening targeted summer 2027 Conversion of the former Belk store at Brookwood Village in Homewood into a 55,000 sq ft clinic and a 65,000 sq ft ambulatory orthopedic surgery center, with parking improvements. Turning a department store into a surgery center means new mechanical and medical gas systems, electrical upgrades, sprinklers, healthcare flooring and repaved parking through 2026 and 2027. The Bama Buzz, 2025-12-09
- 03 · $7 million Nebius Data Center, Lakeshore Parkway Building permit issued April 2026 for a phase of the project An AI and high-performance computing data center on the 75-acre former Regions Lakeshore Operations Center site off Lakeshore Parkway in Birmingham; the $7 million figure is the permit for one phase of a larger development. Reusing an operations campus for AI computing needs large electrical and cooling upgrades plus fire suppression, with ongoing facility service once live. Bham Now, 2026-04-13
- 04 AC Hotel and Element Hotel in the Brown Marx Tower Under renovation; Starbucks space reviewed by the Birmingham Design Review Committee September 2026 Ascent Hospitality is converting the 16-story Brown Marx Tower at 20th Street North and 1st Avenue North in downtown Birmingham into a 338-room dual-branded Marriott hotel: a 190-room AC Hotel and a 148-room Element for short and long stays, with a street-level Starbucks. Turning a 1906 office tower into 338 guest rooms means new sprinkler and fire alarm systems, HVAC for every room, and carpet and hard flooring throughout, then a post-construction clean and recurring housekeeping support for two hotels and a coffee shop on one block. Bham Now, 2026-09-23
- 05 · $9.2 million Tunnel to Towers Veterans Village, Colonnade Parkway Remodel expected to start late summer 2026, construction to wrap by end of 2026, opening early 2027 The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is gutting a vacant hotel at 4300 Colonnade Parkway off U.S. 280 in Birmingham and converting it into up to 110 studio apartments for veterans, with dining rooms, lounges, a library, game and screening rooms, multipurpose rooms and workforce development space on the first floor. A gut renovation that removes the old banquet and meeting rooms needs a general contractor, new flooring and paint across 110 units and the shared spaces, and a final clean before the early 2027 opening; a residential building with dining and program rooms then needs ongoing cleaning of common areas. WBRC, 2026-07-08
- 06 · $15.4 million UAB Bartow Arena renovation Under construction since May 2026, completion expected October 2026 The University of Alabama at Birmingham is renovating Bartow Arena, home of UAB basketball and volleyball, with a new club area, an expanded entrance lobby, replacement lower-bowl retractable seating and concourse improvements including updated lighting and restrooms. Lobby and club build-out and concourse upgrades bring lighting and finish work, including new flooring, on a tight October deadline; a multipurpose arena that also hosts commencement and civic events needs event-day and recurring cleaning once it reopens. UAB Athletics, 2026-05-12
- 07 · $40 million Birmingham City Schools Future Ready Career and Innovation Center Funding approved by Birmingham City Council August 4, 2026; opening planned fall 2029 A new workforce development campus for Birmingham City Schools at the former Arthur School site, training students in health sciences, trades such as welding, plumbing and aviation maintenance, and public safety careers; part of a $45 million package that also includes $4.1 million for school basketball court renovations. A new career-tech building with health science labs and trade shops needs a general contractor, heavy electrical and ventilation scope for welding and automotive bays, and sprinkler and fire alarm systems, with bids likely ahead of the fall 2029 opening. Bham Now, 2026-08-05
Projects current as of 2026-09; each source is linked on its card. Values are as reported by the source.
The anchor owners
Health systems, campuses, large employers and industrial parks hold the biggest concentrations of commercial buildings in Birmingham. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Birmingham, Jefferson County
UAB Hospital
UAB Hospital is a 1,207-licensed-bed hospital in Birmingham's Medical District.
The centerpiece of UAB's clinical enterprise, with hospital towers, clinics and parking decks in the Medical District.
UAB MedicineCampus · Birmingham, Jefferson County
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
The City of Birmingham's 2025 ACFR, citing the Birmingham Business Journal, lists UAB as the metro's largest employer with 35,000 employees.
A downtown university and academic medical campus with classroom, research, housing and athletic buildings.
City of BirminghamAirport · Birmingham, Jefferson County
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM)
The Birmingham Airport Authority reported 3,252,994 total passengers for fiscal year to date 2025 through June 2025.
A passenger terminal, parking decks and airfield pavement serving central Alabama.
Birmingham Airport AuthorityMajor employer · Birmingham, Jefferson County
Regions Financial Corporation
The City of Birmingham's 2025 ACFR, citing the Birmingham Business Journal, lists Regions Financial Corporation as the metro's second-largest employer with 9,000 employees.
A bank headquarters with downtown office towers, operations centers and branches across the metro.
City of BirminghamHealth system · Birmingham, Jefferson County
Children's of Alabama
The City of Birmingham's 2025 ACFR, citing the Birmingham Business Journal, lists Children's of Alabama with 5,635 employees.
A pediatric hospital campus with inpatient buildings, outpatient clinics and parking.
City of BirminghamLogistics hub · Birmingham (Kingston), Jefferson County
Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED headquarters and distribution center
The City of Birmingham's 2025 ACFR says Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED has moved forward with a $350 million investment in a corporate headquarters and distribution center in Kingston.
A combined office and distribution campus with warehouse, fleet and truck yard space.
City of BirminghamPublic owner · Birmingham, Jefferson County
Jefferson County Commission
The City of Birmingham's 2025 ACFR, citing the Birmingham Business Journal, lists the Jefferson County Commission with 2,500 employees.
County courthouses, administrative buildings, sewer plants and road facilities.
City of BirminghamAnchor facts checked 2026-10; each source is linked on its card.
Which trades the work touches
| Trade | Projects and owners |
|---|---|
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 11 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 10 |
| Commercial Electrical | 10 |
| Fire Protection | 9 |
| Commercial Construction | 5 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 4 |
| Commercial Flooring | 4 |
| Commercial Roofing | 2 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 2 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 1 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Birmingham selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Birmingham metro's counties, month by month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail and damaging wind reportstotal, 2015 to 2024 | 32 | 9 | 79 | 101 | 58 | 128 | 100 | 75 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 17 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 8 | 6 | 27 | 43 | 182 | 358 | 466 | 445 | 277 | 75 | 6 | 4 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 673 | 493 | 346 | 133 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 127 | 381 | 593 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 54 | 59 | 67 | 75 | 82 | 88 | 91 | 90 | 86 | 76 | 65 | 57 |
NOAA logged 136 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 483 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #29 of 100 markets for hail and #37 for wind. April, June and July carried 53% of the reports. Storms are not the main driver here, so roof age, leaks and budget timing carry the roofing conversation.
The metro averages 1,895 cooling degree days a year (#26 of 97 markets) and 2,777 heating degree days (#72 of 97). Cooling load peaks in June, July, August and September; heating in January, February, March, November and December. Peak months are when HVAC calls lead with service and response times; the rest of the year they lead with planned work and budgets.
9 months average a high of 60°F or more (March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November). That is when exterior painting, paving and landscaping crews are busiest, so in-season calls catch owners while they can see the work that needs doing. The contracts themselves are bid on each property's own dates, so the selling runs all year.
Trades with no weather season
Cleaning, construction, electrical, flooring and fire protection sell on contract end dates, budgets and inspection cycles. Learn each account's date on the first call and come back before it.
Roofing demand spikes after hail and wind events, when owners want an inspection and documentation for their insurer, so be the known contractor before the storm, not one of many calling after it. Planned work follows each owner's budget: inspections feed capital requests, and replacements are approved ahead of installation. Outbound runs every month, keyed to each building's roof age and budget date.
Chapter 05 The numbers
What one meeting takes, trade by trade
What booking a meeting has taken on our own calling floor for the trades we run in Birmingham, next to the records we can prospect here. The sales center figures are national; it does not break them out by city yet.
| Trade | Dials per appointment | Reached proposal | Proposals won | Dials for 10 meetings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire ProtectionFastest to book | 78 | 21.6% | 13.2% | about 780 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 86 | 32.2% | 7.4% | about 860 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 88 | 18.8% | 12.7% | about 880 |
| Commercial Electrical | 96 | 14.6% | 21.1% | about 960 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 98 | 16.6% | 24.9% | about 980 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 115 | 31.2% | 14.4% | about 1,150 |
| Commercial Flooring | 122 | 30.8% | 9.8% | about 1,220 |
| Commercial Roofing | 140 | 25.9% | 16.1% | about 1,400 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 142 | 23.9% | 21.7% | about 1,420 |
| Managed Service Providers | 162 | 10.0% | 20.5% | about 1,620 |
All of these trades together: 122 dials per appointment
The records behind a Birmingham program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega territory.
- 3,450Commercial Roofing
- 3,450Commercial Construction
- 1,477Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 1,071Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial
Source: Abstrakt territory record counts, as of October 2026: estimated decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each program in the territory. Shown for the programs the count covers.
Read it this way
Divide the records by the dials one meeting takes and you see how long a list lasts before it repeats. A thin list means a program has to work every record well, not just call more.
Chapter 06 Build or buy
What an in-house SDR costs in Birmingham
Before you hire a sales development rep in Birmingham, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 3,770 people hold the role in the Birmingham, AL metro, and every one of their employers is competing for the same hires.
| Cost | Year one |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $55,000 |
| Commission and bonus | $15,000 |
| Payroll taxes and benefits (25% of pay) | $17,500 |
| Tools and data ($550 a month) | $6,600 |
| Recruiting and training | $7,000 |
| Turnover (35% a year, rehiring) | $2,450 |
| Manager and QA time (5 hours a week) and admin (4 hours a month) | $21,150 |
| Total, before ramp time | $124,700 |
Headcount: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091). The cost lines are the starting values of our SDR cost calculator: $15,000 commission, 25% payroll taxes and benefits, $550 a month in tools, $7,000 recruiting and training, 35% yearly turnover, and manager, QA and admin time. Change any of them there.
$124,700
for one in-house SDR's first year at a $55,000 base salary.
That buys one rep. It does not buy the list, the manager's coaching system or cover when the rep leaves.
Part two Apply this
The Birmingham market toolkit
4 working tools built from the chapters above. Tick the boxes as you go (they stay ticked in this browser), copy the scripts into your CRM, or save the whole guide as a PDF and print this part as a worksheet.
Tool 01
Account scorecard
Before an account goes on the call list, check every line that fits. Call the accounts with the most ticks first, and leave the ones with none for later.
Tool 02
Discovery question bank
Ask fewer, better questions. Pick three or four for the call and save the rest for the meeting. Each one comes with the reason it earns its place.
Restaurants: 808 sites here
From our fire protection talk track. Staying open and passing inspection. Multi-unit operators are worth more than single locations.
- When was your hood suppression system last inspected, and when is the next one due?Due dates tell you when to call and what to offer.
- Have you had a failed inspection or a citation recently?Failed inspections threaten the ability to stay open and create urgency.
- How many locations do you operate, and does each one use a different vendor?Multi-unit operators are more valuable and often want one vendor across locations.
Retail stores: 605 sites here
From our paving talk track. First impressions and liability. Many stores lease, so confirm who controls the lot before pitching.
- Does the store control the parking lot, or does the landlord or shopping center manage it?This is the first qualifying question, since many retail lots belong to the landlord.
- Are there potholes, cracks or faded striping customers have complained about?Visible problems in front of customers drive action and point to a first job.
- Is a remodel or refresh planned for this location?Remodels are when lot work often gets funded and scheduled.
Medical, dental and outpatient offices: 341 sites here
From our cleaning talk track. Infection control and documentation. Ask how they verify what the crew did last night.
- Who cleans the practice now, and when does that agreement end or renew?The end date tells you whether this is a proposal now or a walkthrough scheduled ahead of the renewal.
- What did your last infection-control review or patient complaint flag about cleaning?A specific finding gives you the reason to change and the standard your proposal has to answer.
- Which rooms need terminal cleaning after procedures, and which just need routine nightly service?This separates the scope that needs trained, documented crews from general janitorial and shapes pricing.
Any first meeting
Plain practice that works in every market.
- How are you handling this today, and what would you change about it?The gap between today and what they want is the whole reason to meet.
- What happens if nothing changes this year?Tells you whether there is a cost to waiting, or only curiosity.
- Who else would need to agree before anything moves?Names the people who can stall the deal, while you can still invite them.
- When does the current contract or budget come up for review?Gives you the date to plan around, even when the answer today is no.
- What would make a first meeting worth your time?Lets the buyer set the agenda, which is the agenda they will show up for.
Tool 03
Trigger watchlist
Each of these changes gives a buyer a reason to take the call this month instead of next year. Tick the ones you will track, and set a news alert or CRM field for each so you hear about it first.
Tool 04
30-day action plan
4 weeks, 15 steps, nothing you need to buy. Tick each one off as you finish it; your progress stays in this browser.
Week 1Draw the territory
Week 2Check the rules, then write the talk track
Week 3Make the calls
Week 4Measure and decide
Sources and notes
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023: business sites by category, size and county, Birmingham, AL.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1: contractor establishments, one-year change and concentration (location quotient).
- Projects: named public sources linked on each card, current as of 2026-09.
- Anchor owners: sources linked on each card, checked 2026-10.
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2015 to 2024: hail and damaging wind reports by month across the metro's counties.
- NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county monthly series, 1991-2020 averages: degree days and average highs by month.
- Abstrakt sales center, Performance Intelligence, national, as of October 2026: dials, appointments, proposals and wins by trade. Method.
- Abstrakt territory record counts, as of October 2026: decision-maker records per program in the Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega territory.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091).
- The toolkit's discovery questions come from our trade talk tracks; the plan and checklists are sales practice, not data.
