Market report · New Orleans-Metairie, LA
The State of Outbound Sales in New Orleans, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the New Orleans-Metairie, LA 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.
- 2,412business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #56 of our 100 metros
- 5.9buyer sites per commercial landscaping contractor, #10 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 New Orleans
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 808 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in New Orleans-Metairie, ahead of retail stores (471).
Where the metro leans
Hospitals: 1.79x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: hotels (1.77x) and restaurants (1.60x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Commercial Landscaping: #10 of 100 markets
5.9 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 223 local commercial landscaping contractors. The most crowded is commercial electrical, #96 of 100.
Biggest reason to call
Louisiana International Terminal, $1.8 billion
Federal permit granted August 2026; opening targeted 2028. 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 New Orleans-Metairie
2,412 business sites in New Orleans-Metairie have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #56 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 | 2,899 | 1.60x | +115 |
| Retail stores | 471 | 3,418 | 1.28x | +24 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 239 | 1,998 | 1.08x | +171 |
| Wholesale distributors | 191 | 1,129 | 1.04x | +28 |
| Manufacturing plants | 172 | 576 | 0.73x | -16 |
| Private K-12 schools | 116 | 147 | 1.32x | -3 |
| Grocery stores | 95 | 459 | 1.33x | +25 |
| Hotels | 94 | 239 | 1.77x | +12 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 64 | 544 | 1.05x | +6 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 55 | 461 | 0.17x | +2 |
New Orleans-Metairie leans toward hospitals (1.79x), hotels (1.77x) and restaurants (1.60x). 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 (0.17x) and senior living and nursing (0.59x). 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 (+171), restaurants (+115) and wholesale distributors (+28). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
New Orleans-Metairie, LA: 7 counties in this report's counts.
Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish and St. Charles Parish hold 89% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson ParishStart here | 1,090 | 45% |
| Orleans Parish | 962 | 40% |
| St. Charles Parish | 92 | 4% |
| St. John the Baptist Parish | 55 | 2% |
| St. Bernard Parish | 48 | 2% |
| Plaquemines Parish | 25 | 1% |
| St. James Parish | 22 | 1% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in New Orleans
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 New Orleans figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial LandscapingMost room | #10 of 100 | 5.9 | 223 | +9 |
| Commercial Flooring | #39 of 68 | 65 | 14 | 0 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #64 of 100 | 3.4 | 272 | -9 |
| Managed Service Providers | #69 of 100 | 2.2 | 608 | +18 |
| Commercial Construction | #86 of 100 | 2.9 | 261 | +1 |
| Commercial Roofing | #77 of 89 | 45 | 30 | +2 |
| Fire Protection | #84 of 96 | 26 | 59 | +2 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #85 of 94 | 27 | 49 | -4 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #91 of 100 | 6.5 | 122 | -8 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #80 of 86 | 42 | 32 | +1 |
| Commercial Electrical | #96 of 100 | 5.5 | 173 | +3 |
Commercial landscaping (#10), commercial flooring (#39) and commercial cleaning & janitorial (#64) rank best in New Orleans. 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, #96 of 100: 5.5 buyer sites for each of 173 local electrical contractors. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Commercial cleaning & janitorial (-9) and commercial HVAC & mechanical (-8) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Managed service providers (+18) and commercial landscaping (+9) added them.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover New Orleans 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 New Orleans-Metairie. 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 · $1.8 billion Louisiana International Terminal Federal permit granted August 2026; opening targeted 2028 A new container terminal on about 400 acres near Violet in St. Bernard Parish, built by Port NOLA with private partners. With the Army Corps permit in hand, site work, container yard paving, terminal buildings and electrical service for cranes and reefers move toward bidding. FOX 8 New Orleans, 2026-08-17
- 02 · $300 million Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children's Hospital Under construction; opening early 2028 A five-story, 343,000-square-foot children's hospital on Ochsner's Jefferson Highway campus in Jefferson Parish. Foundations and concrete were under way in early 2026, so mechanical, electrical and fire protection rough-in runs through 2027, then flooring, painting and hospital cleaning before the 2028 opening. Hoodline, 2026-02-09
- 03 · $600 million Omni New Orleans hotel Construction starting late summer or fall 2026; opening 2029 A 1,000-room hotel on the Sugar Mill site across from the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. A 1,000-room hotel is one of the largest MEP, fire protection and finish jobs in the region, with work running from late 2026 to 2029 and then a large housekeeping and maintenance operation. FOX 8 New Orleans, 2026-05-26
- 04 · $763 million Morial Convention Center interior renovation About two-thirds complete; completion 2030 A multi-year renovation of the 1-million-square-foot Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, done in summer work windows. Remaining phases include new HVAC, LED lighting, carpet and seating, so mechanical, electrical and flooring crews have summer packages through 2030. FOX 8 New Orleans, 2026-05-26
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 New Orleans-Metairie. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Jefferson, Jefferson Parish
Ochsner Health
Ochsner says it delivers care at 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers, with more than 40,000 team members in 2024.
The flagship Jefferson Highway campus and hospitals and clinics across the metro run around the clock in a hot, humid climate, driving HVAC, cleaning, roofing and life-safety work.
Ochsner HealthCampus · New Orleans, Orleans Parish
Tulane University
Tulane says its uptown campus includes 110 acres and 89 buildings.
Historic and modern academic buildings, residence halls and athletics facilities uptown, plus downtown health sciences buildings, need HVAC, roofing, painting and cleaning.
Tulane UniversityLogistics hub · New Orleans, Orleans Parish
Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA)
Port NOLA says it has 13,511 feet of berthing space at six dedicated breakbulk terminals and a 140,000-square-foot dockside cold storage facility, with container volumes above 500,000 TEU six years in a row.
Wharves, transit sheds, cold storage and cruise terminals along the river need roofing, electrical, refrigeration and paving work.
Port of New OrleansIndustrial park · Avondale, Jefferson Parish
Avondale Global Gateway
The Maritime Executive reported in March 2026 that the former Avondale Shipyard has been transformed into a 275-acre multimodal logistics hub with four restored deepwater docks on the Mississippi River.
Warehouses, docks, rail yards and tenant buildings on the old shipyard site carry roofing, paving, electrical and construction scopes as new tenants move in.
The Maritime ExecutivePublic owner · New Orleans East, Orleans Parish
NASA Michoud Assembly Facility
NASA lists Michoud as founded September 7, 1961, with 3,500+ people working at the facility.
A NASA-owned rocket manufacturing site with large production halls and tenant buildings carries major electrical, mechanical, roofing and fire protection requirements.
NASAAirport · Kenner, Jefferson Parish
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
Wikipedia, citing FAA airport data, says MSY covers 1,500 acres and has two runways.
The terminal, parking garages and airside buildings need constant cleaning, HVAC service and pavement upkeep.
WikipediaAnchor 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 |
| Commercial Roofing | 5 |
| Fire Protection | 5 |
| Commercial Flooring | 4 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 4 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 4 |
| Commercial Construction | 2 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 2 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 1 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The New Orleans selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the New Orleans-Metairie 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 | 7 | 7 | 46 | 47 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 39 | 35 | 75 | 137 | 331 | 484 | 550 | 551 | 433 | 206 | 56 | 23 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 403 | 261 | 154 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 171 | 317 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 62 | 66 | 72 | 78 | 84 | 89 | 91 | 91 | 88 | 80 | 71 | 65 |
NOAA logged 35 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 128 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #63 of 100 markets for hail and #69 for wind. April, May and June carried 69% of the reports. Storms are not the main driver here, so roof age, leaks and budget timing carry the roofing conversation.
The metro averages 2,919 cooling degree days a year (#13 of 97 markets) and 1,356 heating degree days (#88 of 97). Cooling load peaks in May, June, July, August and September; 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 New Orleans, 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 New Orleans program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the New Orleans-Metairie-Hammond territory.
- 3,686Commercial Roofing
- 3,686Commercial Construction
- 1,232Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 917Commercial 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 New Orleans
Before you hire a sales development rep in New Orleans, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 2,200 people hold the role in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA 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 New Orleans 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: 471 sites here
From our roofing talk track. Leaks in front of customers. Qualify early whether the store or the landlord owns the roof.
- Does the store or the landlord own the roof under your lease?This is the first qualifying question, since many retail roofs are the landlord's responsibility.
- Where have leaks hit, the sales floor, the stockroom or around rooftop units?Leak location shows how much they affect customers and inventory, which drives urgency.
- Is a remodel or refresh scheduled for this location?Remodels are when replacement or major repair gets funded and scheduled.
Medical, dental and outpatient offices: 239 sites here
From our landscaping talk track. Patient access and safety. Many practices lease, so the landlord or property manager is often the buyer.
- Do you own the building, or does a landlord or property manager handle the grounds?Many practices lease, so this tells you whether to keep selling here or move to the landlord.
- Have patients complained about the entrance, parking or grounds?Complaints give the practice administrator a reason to push for a change.
- When does the current grounds contract end?The date sets your follow-up timing.
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, New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
- 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 New Orleans-Metairie-Hammond 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.
