Market report · Memphis, TN-MS-AR
The State of Outbound Sales in Memphis, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Memphis, TN-MS-AR 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.
- 3,299business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #49 of our 100 metros
- 99buyer sites per commercial flooring contractor, #10 of 68 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 Memphis
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 946 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Memphis, ahead of retail stores (585).
Where the metro leans
Warehousing and distribution: 4.68x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: hotels (2.15x) and private K-12 schools (1.87x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Commercial Flooring: #10 of 68 markets
99 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 11 local commercial flooring contractors. The most crowded is commercial electrical, #75 of 100.
Biggest reason to call
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital research tower, $810 million
Announced 2026; completion 2029. 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 Memphis
3,299 business sites in Memphis have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #49 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 | 946 | 2,482 | 1.43x | +122 |
| Retail stores | 585 | 4,218 | 1.66x | +57 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 368 | 2,106 | 1.15x | +101 |
| Wholesale distributors | 317 | 1,398 | 1.17x | -31 |
| Manufacturing plants | 308 | 783 | 1.12x | +28 |
| Warehousing and distribution | 134 | 260 | 4.68x | +9 |
| Trucking companies | 132 | 686 | 1.63x | +27 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 111 | 879 | 0.38x | +5 |
| Senior living and nursing | 102 | 172 | 0.80x | +3 |
| Grocery stores | 96 | 606 | 1.44x | +25 |
Memphis leans toward warehousing and distribution (4.68x), hotels (2.15x) and private K-12 schools (1.87x). 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 (0.38x) and senior living and nursing (0.80x). A program built around those buyers runs out of fresh accounts sooner here.
Growing fastest over the past year, by establishment count: restaurants (+122), medical, dental and outpatient offices (+101) and retail stores (+57). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Memphis, TN-MS-AR: 8 counties in this report's counts.
Shelby County, DeSoto County and Crittenden County hold 92% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby CountyStart here | 2,447 | 74% |
| DeSoto County, Mississippi | 493 | 15% |
| Crittenden County, Arkansas | 85 | 3% |
| Tipton County | 40 | 1% |
| Marshall County, Mississippi | 30 | 1% |
| Fayette County | 29 | 1% |
| Tate County, Mississippi | 20 | 1% |
| Tunica County, Mississippi | 12 | 0% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Memphis
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 Memphis figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial FlooringMost room | #10 of 68 | 99 | 11 | -2 |
| Commercial Landscaping | #18 of 100 | 4.9 | 324 | +15 |
| Managed Service Providers | #21 of 100 | 4.2 | 411 | +14 |
| Commercial Construction | #33 of 100 | 5.6 | 166 | +5 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #30 of 86 | 76 | 21 | +1 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #45 of 100 | 4.0 | 292 | +9 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #45 of 94 | 41 | 42 | +2 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #66 of 100 | 8.6 | 135 | +4 |
| Fire Protection | #64 of 96 | 37 | 51 | -1 |
| Commercial Roofing | #62 of 89 | 56 | 29 | +1 |
| Commercial Electrical | #75 of 100 | 8.5 | 155 | +6 |
Commercial flooring (#10), commercial landscaping (#18) and managed service providers (#21) rank best in Memphis. 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, #75 of 100: 8.5 buyer sites for each of 155 local electrical contractors. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Commercial flooring (-2) and fire protection (-1) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Commercial landscaping (+15) and managed service providers (+14) added them.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Memphis 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 7 anchor owners in Memphis. 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 · $810 million St. Jude Children's Research Hospital research tower Announced 2026; completion 2029 A 17-story, 865,000-square-foot research center with 130 lab spaces on St. Jude's campus in the Pinch District of Memphis. Thirteen floors of labs mean large HVAC, exhaust, electrical and fire protection scopes through 2029, then flooring and finishes floor by floor. Action News 5, 2026-02-20
- 02 · Nearly $1 billion Regional One Health hospital campus Schematic design; construction 2027 to 2030 A new hospital campus of more than 600,000 square feet and 315-plus beds in Memphis, replacing seven existing buildings with a bed tower, trauma and burn unit and expanded emergency department. Construction starts in 2027 under a Turner, Flintco, Nickson and Fifer joint venture, so mechanical, electrical, fire protection and roofing subcontract packages will be bid over the next year. Engineering News-Record, 2026-09-03
- 03 · $20 billion xAI Southaven data center (MACROHARDRR) Announced January 2026; operations starting 2026 An xAI data center on Stateline Road in Southaven, DeSoto County, Mississippi, the company's third facility in the Memphis area. Data center fit-out is dominated by electrical distribution, cooling and fire suppression, and running sites need ongoing mechanical and electrical service. Action News 5, 2026-01-08
- 04 · Over $200 million Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovation Phase two completed for the 2026 season A rebuild of the west side of the University of Memphis football stadium in Memphis, replacing about 15,000 seats with suites and a plaza. With the west tower done, the stadium needs suite and concourse cleaning, HVAC service for premium spaces and upkeep of the new plaza. FOX13 Memphis, 2026-06-17
- 05 · $350 million UT Health Science Center College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building Construction starts fall 2026 A 300,000-square-foot College of Medicine building on the UT Health Science Center campus in Memphis, with $311 million in state funding and substantial completion expected in 2029. A new building of this size runs roofing, envelope and structural work from 2027 into 2029, followed by lab and classroom mechanical, electrical and fire protection fit-out. University of Tennessee System, 2026-07-06
- 06 · $400 million FedEx small package sort facility, Memphis World Hub Permit filed; construction starts fall 2026 A five-story, 1.6 million-square-foot eCommerce small package sort building at 2753 Sprankel Ave. at Memphis International Airport, with a construction permit filed August 3, 2026 and operation targeted for spring 2031. A building this size means years of sitework and paving, a very large roof and envelope, and the electrical and mechanical systems behind automated sorting, phased from fall 2026 to 2031. The Commercial Appeal (via Yahoo Finance), 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 Memphis. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Memphis, Shelby County
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare describes itself as a health system that includes six hospitals, plus ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient facilities and physician practices in the greater Memphis area.
Six hospital campuses plus a spread of surgery centers and outpatient clinics means mechanical, life-safety, cleaning and grounds work across many buildings under one system owner.
Methodist Le Bonheur HealthcareCampus · Memphis, Shelby County
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis, founded in 1912, says it welcomes more than 21,000 students to campus every year.
A large urban campus with classroom, lab, housing and athletic buildings, parking lots and grounds that need recurring maintenance and capital work.
University of MemphisMajor employer · Memphis, Shelby County
FedEx World Hub
FedEx says its Memphis World Hub is the largest sort facility in its global network, with 13,000 team members.
The hub spans 940 acres of sort buildings, conveyor systems, aircraft ramps and parking, a large industrial footprint for electrical, mechanical, paving and cleaning work.
FedEx NewsroomAirport · Memphis, Shelby County
Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport reported total cargo handled of 6.54 billion pounds in 2025.
The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority runs terminals, parking, cargo ramps and support buildings, and posts bids and construction projects on its own site.
Memphis International AirportLogistics hub · Memphis, Shelby County
International Port of Memphis
The Port of Memphis says it ranks as the sixth largest inland port in the United States.
Its harbors connect two industrial parks, Pidgeon Industrial Park and President's Island, where plants, terminals and warehouses carry roofs, yards and electrical systems.
Port of MemphisIndustrial park · Olive Branch, DeSoto County
Crossroads Distribution Center
The DeSoto Times described Crossroads Distribution Center in 2019 as a 475-acre, master-planned industrial park totaling over 7 million square feet.
Big-box Class A warehouses on the Mississippi side of the metro, each with large roofs, truck courts, dock areas and fire sprinkler systems.
DeSoto TimesPublic owner · Memphis, Shelby County
Memphis-Shelby County Schools
Wikipedia, citing the district, states that MSCS contains 214 schools in Shelby County, 158 of them directly operated by MSCS.
The district owns school buildings, kitchens, gyms, fields and parking lots that need roofing, HVAC, flooring and grounds work.
WikipediaAnchor facts checked 2026-10; each source is linked on its card.
Which trades the work touches
| Trade | Projects and owners |
|---|---|
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 10 |
| Commercial Electrical | 10 |
| Commercial Roofing | 7 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 6 |
| Fire Protection | 6 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 5 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 3 |
| Commercial Flooring | 2 |
| Commercial Construction | 2 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 1 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Memphis selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Memphis 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 | 34 | 10 | 60 | 76 | 87 | 99 | 75 | 29 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 27 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 3 | 4 | 25 | 46 | 197 | 392 | 492 | 459 | 272 | 65 | 5 | 2 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 755 | 569 | 404 | 148 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 143 | 414 | 669 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 50 | 55 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 88 | 91 | 90 | 85 | 74 | 62 | 53 |
NOAA logged 121 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 402 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #32 of 100 markets for hail and #43 for wind. April, May and June carried 50% of the reports. Storms are not the main driver here, so roof age, leaks and budget timing carry the roofing conversation.
The metro averages 1,961 cooling degree days a year (#24 of 97 markets) and 3,139 heating degree days (#63 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.
HVAC outbound runs every month of the year, and the season changes the message, not the effort. In peak months calls lead with service: which units struggled, how fast the current contractor responded, and when the agreement renews. The rest of the year they lead with planned work, budgets and equipment past mid-life.
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 Memphis, 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 Memphis program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Memphis-Forrest City territory.
- 3,280Commercial Roofing
- 3,280Commercial Construction
- 1,390Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 1,012Commercial 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 Memphis
Before you hire a sales development rep in Memphis, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 3,330 people hold the role in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR 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 Memphis 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: 946 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: 585 sites here
From our landscaping talk track. Store appearance and snow safety. In shopping centers the landlord usually controls the contract, so qualify who buys.
- Is this a freestanding store, or does the shopping center landlord handle the grounds?In centers the landlord usually buys, so this qualifies whether you are talking to the right company.
- Is grounds and snow bought store by store or through a regional or national program?Regional programs need a different conversation and a different contact than a single store.
- How is snow and ice handled before the store opens?Opening-time snow coverage is a safety and liability issue that gets attention fast.
Medical, dental and outpatient offices: 368 sites here
From our flooring talk track. Cleanable surfaces and installing without closing the practice. Weekend installs are common.
- Which areas are clinical and which are office, and what is in each now?Clinical areas need cleanable, seamless surfaces, which changes product and price.
- Can installs happen on weekends or after hours so the practice stays open?Keeping patients flowing is the main concern, so scheduling answers matter.
- Is a remodel, acquisition or new location planned?New clinics and remodels bring the largest flooring projects.
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, Memphis, TN-MS-AR.
- 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 Memphis-Forrest City 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.
