Market report · Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
The State of Outbound Sales in Cincinnati, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 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.
- 5,808business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #27 of our 100 metros
- 64buyer sites per fire protection contractor, #16 of 96 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 Cincinnati
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 1,755 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Cincinnati, ahead of retail stores (1,021).
Where the metro leans
Warehousing and distribution: 1.70x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: commercial property managers (1.70x) and manufacturing plants (1.50x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Fire Protection: #16 of 96 markets
64 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 55 local fire protection contractors. The most crowded is commercial landscaping, #67 of 100.
Biggest reason to call
Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, $4.05 billion
Under construction. One of 6 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 Cincinnati
5,808 business sites in Cincinnati have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #27 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 | 1,755 | 4,659 | 1.25x | +48 |
| Retail stores | 1,021 | 6,169 | 1.14x | -71 |
| Manufacturing plants | 863 | 2,121 | 1.50x | +83 |
| Wholesale distributors | 574 | 2,542 | 1.26x | -178 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 565 | 3,646 | 1.00x | +60 |
| Senior living and nursing | 240 | 592 | 1.28x | +22 |
| Grocery stores | 150 | 893 | 1.08x | -13 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 142 | 1,231 | 0.70x | -7 |
| Trucking companies | 123 | 870 | 1.05x | -18 |
| Auto dealerships | 106 | 252 | 1.09x | -4 |
Cincinnati leans toward warehousing and distribution (1.70x), commercial property managers (1.70x) and manufacturing plants (1.50x). 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 (0.70x). A program built around those buyers runs out of fresh accounts sooner here.
Growing fastest over the past year, by establishment count: manufacturing plants (+83), medical, dental and outpatient offices (+60) and restaurants (+48). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN: 12 counties in this report's counts.
Hamilton County, Butler County and Warren County hold 70% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton CountyStart here | 2,527 | 44% |
| Butler County | 982 | 17% |
| Warren County | 538 | 9% |
| Boone County, Kentucky | 475 | 8% |
| Clermont County | 368 | 6% |
| Kenton County, Kentucky | 349 | 6% |
| Campbell County, Kentucky | 165 | 3% |
| Dearborn County, Indiana | 85 | 1% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Cincinnati
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 Cincinnati figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire ProtectionMost room | #16 of 96 | 64 | 55 | 0 |
| Commercial Flooring | #13 of 68 | 93 | 18 | 0 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #22 of 86 | 81 | 36 | 0 |
| Commercial Roofing | #27 of 89 | 79 | 36 | -3 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #32 of 94 | 47 | 54 | 0 |
| Commercial Construction | #37 of 100 | 5.5 | 335 | -3 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #39 of 100 | 11 | 200 | +4 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #44 of 100 | 4.0 | 570 | -16 |
| Managed Service Providers | #57 of 100 | 2.5 | 1,291 | -6 |
| Commercial Electrical | #61 of 100 | 9.7 | 261 | -5 |
| Commercial Landscaping | #67 of 100 | 3.2 | 814 | -8 |
Fire protection (#16), commercial flooring (#13) and commercial painting & coatings (#22) rank best in Cincinnati. For those trades a program can work longer before it calls the same building twice, and fewer competitors have already pitched each owner.
Commercial landscaping is the most crowded trade here, #67 of 100: 3.2 buyer sites for each of 814 local commercial landscaping contractors. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Commercial cleaning & janitorial (-16) and commercial landscaping (-8) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Commercial HVAC & mechanical (+4) added them.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Cincinnati 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
6 named, sourced projects and 8 anchor owners in Cincinnati. 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 · $4.05 billion Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project Under construction A new cable-stayed companion bridge, rehabilitation of the 1963 bridge, and rebuilt interchanges along eight miles of I-71/I-75 between Cincinnati and Covington; ground broke May 8, 2026. Over 40 overpasses and interchanges are rebuilt through 2033, creating steady paving, electrical (lighting and signals) and landscaping work alongside the prime contract. Construction Equipment Guide, 2026-06-02
- 02 · $325 million Cincinnati Downtown Marriott Hotel Under construction A 21-story, 700-room, 660,000-square-foot convention headquarters hotel downtown, connected by skybridge to the renovated First Financial Center; ground broke July 21, 2026. Skanska is building toward a late 2028 opening, so mechanical, electrical and fire protection run first, followed by large flooring and painting scopes for rooms and ballrooms. Skanska, 2026-07
- 03 · $365 million Cincinnati Children's Liberty Campus expansion Under construction A hospital addition with 72 inpatient beds and four operating rooms, a four-story medical office building, and renovation of over 100,000 square feet at the Liberty Campus in Butler County. Phased work runs to 2029: the office building in 2027, the hospital addition in 2028, then interior renovation, so mechanical, electrical and finish trades have work across several years. DOTmed, 2025-01-13
- 04 · 880,000 sq ft Prologis Project Mila data center campus Approved A four-building data center campus with an electrical substation on more than 140 acres in Trenton's industrial park, Butler County; site plan approved March 30, 2026. Data center campuses are heavy on electrical and cooling scopes, with site paving and stormwater work at the start. WVXU, 2026-03-30
- 05 · More than $16 million ADM Boone County facility expansion Announced A 14,000-square-foot manufacturing addition for liquid and dry-blended color products at ADM's Boone County, Kentucky facility, due in early 2027. Food-grade manufacturing additions need process mechanical, electrical and sanitary-grade flooring and cleaning. The Lane Report, 2026-08-04
- 06 · $304 million University of Cincinnati STEM Academic Facility Demolition under way; groundbreaking 2027 A 200,000-square-foot classroom and lab building replacing Crosley Tower on Martin Luther King Drive on UC's Uptown campus in Cincinnati, with completion set for 2029. Once Crosley Tower demolition wraps up, site work and a 2027 groundbreaking open the new-building packages: roofing and envelope, then lab-grade mechanical and electrical systems through 2029. University of Cincinnati News, 2026-07-30
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 Cincinnati. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Cincinnati, Hamilton County
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
REDI Cincinnati, citing the Cincinnati Business Courier Book of Lists 2024-2025, lists Cincinnati Children's Medical Center with 19,503 employees, the largest health care employer in the region.
A pediatric academic medical center with hospital towers, research buildings, outpatient sites and parking structures across Greater Cincinnati.
REDI CincinnatiCampus · Cincinnati, Hamilton County
University of Cincinnati
UC recorded an official head count of 53,682 students for fall semester 2025, its largest enrollment ever.
A multi-campus public university with academic buildings, residence halls, athletic venues and regional campuses in Blue Ash and Clermont County.
University of CincinnatiAirport · Hebron, Boone County, KY
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
CVG served 8,971,128 passengers in 2025 and handled 1,703,828 tons of cargo.
Passenger terminals, concourses, parking garages, airfield pavement and cargo buildings on one airport campus.
Spectrum NewsLogistics hub · Hebron, Boone County, KY
Amazon Air Hub at CVG
Amazon's air hub at CVG is an 800,000-square-foot facility on an operation spanning over 600 acres, built with a $1.5 billion investment.
A sort building, ramp, parking lots and support buildings running around the clock at the airport.
AmazonMajor employer · Cincinnati, Hamilton County
The Kroger Co.
REDI Cincinnati, citing the Cincinnati Business Courier Book of Lists 2024-2025, ranks Kroger first among the region's employers with 20,000 employees.
A headquartered grocery retailer with corporate offices, stores and distribution facilities across the region.
REDI CincinnatiMajor employer · Cincinnati, Hamilton County
Procter & Gamble
REDI Cincinnati, citing the Cincinnati Business Courier Book of Lists 2024-2025, lists Procter and Gamble with 12,000 regional employees.
A global headquarters with downtown office towers, research and technical centers and campus grounds in the region.
REDI CincinnatiMajor employer · Evendale, Hamilton County
GE Aerospace
REDI Cincinnati, citing the Cincinnati Business Courier Book of Lists 2024-2025, lists GE Aerospace with 9,000 regional employees.
Engine design, test and office facilities on a large industrial campus north of Cincinnati.
REDI CincinnatiIndustrial park · Hamilton, Butler County
Hamilton Enterprise Park
The park is owned by the City of Hamilton and has over 130 acres left, split by roads into parcels of roughly 32, 40 and 59 acres.
A city-owned industrial and office park where new buildings, site work and tenant fit-outs follow each land sale.
REDI CincinnatiAnchor facts checked 2026-10; each source is linked on its card.
Which trades the work touches
| Trade | Projects and owners |
|---|---|
| Commercial Electrical | 12 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 11 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 7 |
| Fire Protection | 6 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 6 |
| Commercial Roofing | 5 |
| Commercial Construction | 4 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 4 |
| Commercial Flooring | 3 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 2 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Cincinnati selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Cincinnati 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 | 4 | 13 | 80 | 231 | 130 | 242 | 221 | 105 | 34 | 32 | 3 | 21 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 90 | 217 | 322 | 290 | 128 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 1,052 | 851 | 676 | 332 | 133 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 53 | 295 | 620 | 915 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 39 | 44 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 54 | 44 |
NOAA logged 182 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 934 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #23 of 100 markets for hail and #12 for wind. April, June and July carried 62% of the reports. Storm calls are a real door-opener here, and the contractor who is already known before the season gets the inspection.
The metro averages 1,071 cooling degree days a year (#50 of 97 markets) and 4,942 heating degree days (#41 of 97). Cooling load peaks in June, July and August; 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.
7 months average a high of 60°F or more (April, May, June, July, August, September and October). 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 Cincinnati, 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 Cincinnati program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville territory.
- 5,907Commercial Roofing
- 5,907Commercial Construction
- 2,683Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 2,098Commercial 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 Cincinnati
Before you hire a sales development rep in Cincinnati, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 8,960 people hold the role in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 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 Cincinnati 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: 1,755 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: 1,021 sites here
From our painting talk track. Night work that does not close the store. Chains often run repaints as multi-site programs from regional facilities.
- Is painting bought store by store or through a regional or national remodel program?Program work needs a different contact and often a vendor registration process.
- Can the work be done overnight without closing the store?Night work capability is often the deciding factor for retail painting.
- Are remodels, brand refreshes or new stores planned in this area?Planned programs give you a timeline and a defined scope.
Manufacturing plants: 863 sites here
From our fire protection talk track. Insurer recommendations and process hazards. The safety manager often owns the relationship, not facilities.
- Who owns the fire protection relationship here, facilities, maintenance or the EHS manager?The safety manager often owns it rather than facilities, so this tells you who to meet.
- Has your insurer's loss-control visit produced any recommendations?Insurer recommendations create deadlines and defined scope.
- Do you have special-hazard suppression on any processes, and who services it?Special-hazard systems need specialized service and are often a separate opportunity.
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, Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.
- 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 Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 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.
