Market report · Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
The State of Outbound Sales in Miami, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 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.
- 13,531business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #8 of our 100 metros
- 100buyer sites per commercial flooring contractor, #9 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 Miami
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 4,189 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, ahead of retail stores (3,238).
Where the metro leans
Commercial property managers: 1.94x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: nonresidential building owners (1.76x) and private K-12 schools (1.59x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Commercial Flooring: #9 of 68 markets
100 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 69 local commercial flooring contractors. The most crowded is fire protection, #87 of 96.
Biggest reason to call
MIA South Terminal Expansion East (new Concourse K), $746,400,000
Under construction (design-build); completion April 2029. 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale
13,531 business sites in Miami-Fort Lauderdale have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #8 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 | 4,189 | 13,561 | 0.87x | +379 |
| Retail stores | 3,238 | 23,737 | 1.08x | +491 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 1,695 | 21,336 | 1.33x | +1,406 |
| Wholesale distributors | 1,314 | 15,088 | 1.13x | +229 |
| Manufacturing plants | 752 | 4,683 | 0.82x | +189 |
| Grocery stores | 645 | 3,488 | 1.04x | +163 |
| Hotels | 410 | 945 | 0.81x | +19 |
| Senior living and nursing | 408 | 1,379 | 0.63x | +3 |
| Private K-12 schools | 325 | 634 | 1.59x | +18 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 267 | 3,835 | 0.90x | +102 |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale leans toward commercial property managers (1.94x), nonresidential building owners (1.76x) and private K-12 schools (1.59x). 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 colleges and universities (0.60x) and senior living and nursing (0.63x). 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 (+1,406), retail stores (+491) and restaurants (+379). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 3 counties in this report's counts.
Miami-Dade County holds 43% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade CountyStart here | 5,761 | 43% |
| Broward County | 4,232 | 31% |
| Palm Beach County | 3,475 | 26% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Miami
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 Miami figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial FlooringMost room | #9 of 68 | 100 | 69 | +2 |
| Commercial Electrical | #25 of 100 | 12 | 553 | +4 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #27 of 94 | 49 | 202 | +3 |
| Commercial Landscaping | #31 of 100 | 4.2 | 2,397 | +38 |
| Commercial Roofing | #28 of 89 | 78 | 116 | -12 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #29 of 86 | 78 | 119 | +4 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #55 of 100 | 9.2 | 506 | +16 |
| Managed Service Providers | #63 of 100 | 2.4 | 3,187 | +136 |
| Commercial Construction | #76 of 100 | 3.3 | 1,399 | +90 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #88 of 100 | 2.5 | 2,396 | +75 |
| Fire Protection | #87 of 96 | 26 | 346 | -20 |
Commercial flooring (#9), commercial electrical (#25) and paving & asphalt (#27) rank best in Miami. For those trades a program can work longer before it calls the same building twice, and fewer competitors have already pitched each owner.
Fire protection is the most crowded trade here, #87 of 96: 26 buyer sites for each of 346 local fire protection contractors. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Fire protection (-20) and commercial roofing (-12) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Managed service providers (+136) and commercial construction (+90) added them.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Miami 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 7 anchor owners in Miami-Fort Lauderdale. 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 · $746,400,000 MIA South Terminal Expansion East (new Concourse K) Under construction (design-build); completion April 2029 A three-level expansion of Miami International Airport's South Terminal east of Concourse J, adding six domestic gates, more post-security concessions, a ground support equipment maintenance facility, and new baggage make-up areas in Miami-Dade County. Notice to proceed was issued in August 2025 and work runs to April 2029. Terminal work includes HVAC, electrical, fire protection, and apron paving, and new concession space brings flooring and painting fit-outs. Miami-Dade Aviation Department, Capital Improvement Program monthly report, 2026-07
- 02 · 340,000 sq ft Baptist Health Sunrise Hospital Under construction; opening 2029 A seven-story hospital with 100 inpatient beds, a 30-bed emergency department, and a 25,000-square-foot medical office building at 12401 W. Oakland Park Blvd. in Sunrise, Broward County. Ground broke in January 2026 for a 2029 opening. Expect hospital mechanical, electrical, and fire protection scopes through 2028, then flooring and finish work, with landscaping tied to a 15-acre conservation easement on site. Baptist Health South Florida (press release), 2026-01-28
- 03 · Approximately 485,000 sq ft Festival Logistics Park Under construction; delivery Q4 2026 A three-building Class A industrial park on the 25-acre former Festival Flea Market site at 2900 W. Sample Road in Pompano Beach, Broward County. Ground broke in February 2026 with delivery planned for the fourth quarter of 2026. Roofing, truck court paving, and electrical work are active now, and tenant buildouts in 2027 will add HVAC, sprinkler, and cleaning contracts. Stream Realty Partners (press release), 2026-02-10
- 04 FIU Sunblazer Hall Under construction; opening fall 2028 A 17-story residence hall with 1,174 beds on Florida International University's main campus in western Miami-Dade County, one of five FIU buildings under construction. Sunblazer Hall is due in fall 2028, and FIU has six more projects in design behind it. Residence halls need HVAC and electrical work during construction and steady flooring, painting, and cleaning work once students move in. FIU News, 2026-03-31
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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Miami, Miami-Dade County
Baptist Health South Florida
Baptist Health describes itself as the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 29,000 employees and 200 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Hospitals plus about 200 outpatient and urgent care sites give one owner a long list of buildings needing HVAC, life-safety, cleaning and flooring work.
South Florida Hospital NewsHealth system · Miami, Miami-Dade County
Jackson Memorial Hospital (Jackson Health System)
WLRN reports Jackson Memorial Hospital has more than 1,500 beds and is part of Jackson Health System, the largest public hospital system in the country.
A large public hospital campus in the Civic Center district, plus newer hospitals such as Jackson West in Doral, runs constant mechanical, electrical, life-safety and cleaning work.
WLRNCampus · Miami, Miami-Dade County
Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College says more than 100,000 students are currently enrolled across eight campuses: Hialeah, Homestead, Kendall, Medical, North, Padrón, West and Wolfson.
Eight campuses and outreach centers spread across the county carry classroom, lab and parking-lot upkeep: cleaning, HVAC, roofing and paving.
Miami Dade CollegeMajor employer · Miami, Miami-Dade County
Royal Caribbean Group headquarters campus
HOK says Royal Caribbean broke ground at PortMiami in February 2024 on a 10-story, 380,000-sq.-ft. headquarters building for its workforce of 3,000 South Florida-based employees.
A corporate campus with a new office tower, parking facility and landscaped courtyard needs janitorial, HVAC, landscape and electrical work once occupied.
HOKAirport · Miami, Miami-Dade County
Miami International Airport (MIA)
MIA says passenger traffic reached 55.3 million in 2025 and freight shipments rose to nearly 3.5 million tons, the most of any U.S. cargo airport.
Terminals, cargo warehouses, garages and airfield support buildings need cleaning, HVAC, electrical, roofing and pavement work.
Miami International AirportLogistics hub · Miami, Miami-Dade County
PortMiami
PortMiami reported 8,564,225 cruise passengers and 1,115,058 TEUs for Fiscal Year 2025 (October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025).
Cruise terminals, cargo yards, garages and office buildings on Dodge Island need cleaning, HVAC, paving and electrical work.
American Journal of TransportationIndustrial park · Hialeah, Miami-Dade County
Countyline Corporate Park
Terreno Realty says its Phase III and IV buildings at Countyline will total 17 industrial distribution buildings and 3.5 million square feet, with Phase IV a 121-acre project expected to be complete in 2027.
A cluster of new dock-high distribution buildings with large truck courts and car parking needs roofing, paving, electrical and fire sprinkler work.
Terreno Realty Corporation release (citybiz)Anchor facts checked 2026-10; each source is linked on its card.
Which trades the work touches
| Trade | Projects and owners |
|---|---|
| Commercial Electrical | 9 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 9 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 8 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 6 |
| Fire Protection | 6 |
| Commercial Roofing | 5 |
| Commercial Flooring | 4 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 2 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 1 |
| Commercial Construction | 1 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Miami selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Miami-Fort Lauderdale 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 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 72 | 55 | 53 | 23 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 134 | 156 | 209 | 288 | 414 | 503 | 556 | 567 | 512 | 419 | 246 | 173 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 93 | 56 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 53 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 76 | 79 | 81 | 85 | 88 | 91 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 87 | 82 | 78 |
NOAA logged 69 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 209 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #48 of 100 markets for hail and #61 for wind. April, May and June carried 65% of the reports. Storms are not the main driver here, so roof age, leaks and budget timing carry the roofing conversation.
The metro averages 4,176 cooling degree days a year (#2 of 97 markets) and 235 heating degree days (#97 of 97). Cooling load peaks in April, May, June, July, August, September and October; heating in January, February 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.
Every month averages a high of 60°F or more, so exterior painting, paving and landscaping work is not squeezed into a short season here. The calendar that matters is each property's contract and budget date.
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 Miami, 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 Miami program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale territory.
- 14,580Commercial Roofing
- 14,580Commercial Construction
- 5,968Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 3,562Commercial 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 Miami
Before you hire a sales development rep in Miami, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 30,300 people hold the role in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 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 Miami 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: 4,189 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: 3,238 sites here
From our electrical talk track. Lighting cost and fast repair. For chains, decisions often sit in a regional facilities office, so find who owns vendors for your area.
- Who handles electrical service for this store, the store, a regional facilities office or a national provider?For chains, decisions often sit outside the store, so this tells you who to call next.
- Is a lighting retrofit or remodel planned for this location?Remodels and retrofits are defined projects with budgets.
- How fast does your current electrician respond when lights or signs go out?Slow response during business hours is a common reason to add a vendor.
Medical, dental and outpatient offices: 1,695 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, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL.
- 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale 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.
