Market report · Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
The State of Outbound Sales in Indianapolis, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, 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.
- 5,628business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #31 of our 100 metros
- 67buyer sites per paving contractor, #8 of 94 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 Indianapolis
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 1,634 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Indianapolis-Carmel, ahead of retail stores (1,070).
Where the metro leans
Warehousing and distribution: 1.95x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: trucking companies (1.48x) and auto dealerships (1.41x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Paving & Asphalt: #8 of 94 markets
67 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 45 local paving contractors. The most crowded is commercial painting & coatings, #66 of 86.
Biggest reason to call
Lilly Lebanon API, $4.5 billion
Under construction. One of 4 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 Indianapolis-Carmel
5,628 business sites in Indianapolis-Carmel have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #31 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 | 1,634 | 4,400 | 1.18x | -16 |
| Retail stores | 1,070 | 5,880 | 1.11x | -13 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 690 | 4,316 | 1.12x | +231 |
| Manufacturing plants | 596 | 1,610 | 1.01x | -10 |
| Wholesale distributors | 469 | 2,373 | 1.38x | +14 |
| Senior living and nursing | 231 | 578 | 0.95x | +3 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 206 | 1,377 | 0.56x | +2 |
| Trucking companies | 161 | 1,371 | 1.48x | -4 |
| Warehousing and distribution | 148 | 262 | 1.95x | -5 |
| Grocery stores | 131 | 751 | 0.87x | +17 |
Indianapolis-Carmel leans toward warehousing and distribution (1.95x), trucking companies (1.48x) and auto dealerships (1.41x). 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 (0.56x) and hosting and data processing companies (0.80x). 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 (+231), apartment and residential property managers (+27) and grocery stores (+17). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN: 11 counties in this report's counts.
Marion County, Hamilton County and Hendricks County hold 76% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Marion CountyStart here | 2,893 | 51% |
| Hamilton County | 930 | 17% |
| Hendricks County | 437 | 8% |
| Johnson County | 368 | 7% |
| Madison County | 236 | 4% |
| Boone County | 185 | 3% |
| Hancock County | 153 | 3% |
| Morgan County | 87 | 2% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Indianapolis
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 Indianapolis figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paving & AsphaltMost room | #8 of 94 | 67 | 45 | 0 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #37 of 100 | 11 | 188 | +15 |
| Commercial Construction | #48 of 100 | 4.7 | 357 | +18 |
| Commercial Landscaping | #53 of 100 | 3.5 | 847 | +12 |
| Managed Service Providers | #55 of 100 | 2.6 | 1,233 | +16 |
| Fire Protection | #62 of 96 | 38 | 85 | -3 |
| Commercial Electrical | #65 of 100 | 9.2 | 263 | +12 |
| Commercial Roofing | #58 of 89 | 57 | 49 | +3 |
| Commercial Flooring | #48 of 68 | 58 | 33 | -4 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #76 of 100 | 3.2 | 676 | +15 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #66 of 86 | 53 | 54 | 0 |
Paving & asphalt (#8), commercial HVAC & mechanical (#37) and commercial construction (#48) rank best in Indianapolis. For those trades a program can work longer before it calls the same building twice, and fewer competitors have already pitched each owner.
Commercial painting & coatings is the most crowded trade here, #66 of 86: 53 buyer sites for each of 54 local commercial painting contractors. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Commercial flooring (-4) and fire protection (-3) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Commercial construction (+18) and managed service providers (+16) added them.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Indianapolis 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
4 named, sourced projects and 6 anchor owners in Indianapolis-Carmel. 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 · $4.5 billion Lilly Lebanon API Under construction Eli Lilly's active pharmaceutical ingredient plant in Lebanon's LEAP Innovation District, Boone County, due to open in 2027; Lilly added $4.5 billion to the district in May 2026. Pharmaceutical plants need process mechanical, electrical, fire protection and cleanroom-grade flooring, with 2027 commissioning driving the schedule. WFYI, 2026-05-06
- 02 · $4.5 billion Lilly Medicine Foundry Under construction A Lilly research and manufacturing facility in the LEAP industrial district in Lebanon, Boone County, expected to employ over 2,000 construction workers. More than 2,000 construction jobs on one site means steady mechanical, electrical and fire protection work, plus site paving. WFYI, 2025-05-07
- 03 · Approximately $10 billion Meta Lebanon data center Under construction A 1-gigawatt Meta data center campus in Lebanon, Boone County, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis; ground broke in February 2026. Meta expects more than 4,000 construction workers at peak, mostly on electrical, liquid cooling and fire protection. Data Center Knowledge, 2026-02-11
- 04 · $110 million James T. Morris Arena at IU Indianapolis Under construction A multipurpose arena with about 4,500 seats on the IU Indianapolis campus south of Eskenazi Hall, set to open in late 2026. Late-stage work is finishes: sports and concourse flooring, painting and turnover cleaning, then ongoing custodial and HVAC service once open. IU News, 2025-12-16
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 Indianapolis-Carmel. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Indianapolis, Marion County
IU Health downtown Indianapolis hospital
IU Health's new downtown hospital will have 864 beds and 50 operating rooms in three 16-floor patient towers on a 40-acre site, a $4.3 billion project set to open near the end of 2027.
The new campus replaces Methodist and University hospitals, so building systems, finishes and grounds on both old and new sites will need work through the transition.
Indianapolis Business JournalCampus · Indianapolis, Marion County
IU Indianapolis
Indiana University reports a total of 23,145 students attending IU Indianapolis in fall 2026.
A downtown campus of classroom, lab, housing and athletic buildings needs cleaning, HVAC service and grounds care.
Indiana UniversityMajor employer · Indianapolis, Marion County
Eli Lilly and Company headquarters
The Indianapolis Business Journal reported in 2023 that Eli Lilly has about 10,000 workers in Indianapolis.
A downtown headquarters, research labs and manufacturing buildings carry heavy mechanical, electrical, cleaning and life-safety needs.
Indianapolis Business JournalAirport · Indianapolis, Marion County
Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
IND welcomed more than 10.6 million passengers in 2025, a record for the airport.
The terminal, parking garage and surface lots run by the Indianapolis Airport Authority need cleaning, HVAC and pavement work.
WISH-TVLogistics hub · Indianapolis, Marion County
FedEx Indianapolis Hub
FedEx describes its Indianapolis hub as the second-largest hub in the company's network; it recently opened a 16,000-plus-square-foot cold-chain facility.
Sort buildings, cold-chain space, ramps and employee parking at the airport carry electrical, roofing, paving and fire protection needs.
FedEx NewsroomIndustrial park · Plainfield, Hendricks County
Plainfield logistics corridor
Site Selection Magazine reported in 2024 that Plainfield holds 50 million square feet of industrial warehouse space, with distribution centers for Amazon, Walmart, UPS, Home Depot and others.
Large distribution buildings share needs for roof repair, truck court paving, dock lighting and sprinkler inspection.
Site Selection MagazineAnchor facts checked 2026-10; each source is linked on its card.
Which trades the work touches
| Trade | Projects and owners |
|---|---|
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 8 |
| Commercial Electrical | 8 |
| Fire Protection | 7 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 6 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 4 |
| Commercial Flooring | 4 |
| Commercial Construction | 2 |
| Commercial Roofing | 2 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 1 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 1 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Indianapolis selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Indianapolis-Carmel 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 | 6 | 15 | 103 | 83 | 119 | 151 | 160 | 79 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 20 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 81 | 200 | 284 | 242 | 100 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 1,162 | 941 | 748 | 391 | 162 | 18 | 5 | 12 | 74 | 342 | 683 | 1,014 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 35 | 40 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 51 | 40 |
NOAA logged 224 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 527 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #21 of 100 markets for hail and #33 for wind. May, June and July carried 57% of the reports. Storms are not the main driver here, so roof age, leaks and budget timing carry the roofing conversation.
The metro averages 921 cooling degree days a year (#56 of 97 markets) and 5,551 heating degree days (#33 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 Indianapolis, 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 Indianapolis program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie territory.
- 6,305Commercial Roofing
- 6,305Commercial Construction
- 2,570Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 2,022Commercial 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 Indianapolis
Before you hire a sales development rep in Indianapolis, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 9,870 people hold the role in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, 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 Indianapolis 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: 1,634 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: 1,070 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: 690 sites here
From our paving talk track. Patient safety and accessibility. Many practices lease, so the landlord or property manager is often the buyer.
- Does the practice lease the building, and if so, who manages the lot?Many practices lease, so this tells you whether the landlord or property manager is the real buyer.
- Have patients mentioned trip hazards, potholes or trouble with accessible parking?Patient safety concerns and accessibility issues drive action quickly at medical offices.
- Are your accessible spaces, ramps and curb cuts in good condition and up to current requirements?Accessibility updates are a common, well-defined scope for paving and concrete work.
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, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 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.
