Market report · Oklahoma City, OK
The State of Outbound Sales in Oklahoma City, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Oklahoma City, OK 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.
- 3,527business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #43 of our 100 metros
- 4.3buyer sites per commercial landscaping contractor, #30 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 Oklahoma City
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 1,187 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Oklahoma City, ahead of retail stores (738).
Where the metro leans
Commercial property managers: 2.10x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: bank and credit union offices (1.39x) and medical, dental and outpatient offices (1.37x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Commercial Landscaping: #30 of 100 markets
4.3 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 455 local commercial landscaping contractors. The most crowded is commercial construction, #99 of 100.
Biggest reason to call
Continental Coliseum, $900 million
Under construction; broke ground March 2026, opening 2028. One of 7 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 Oklahoma City
3,527 business sites in Oklahoma City have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #43 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 | 1,187 | 3,138 | 1.09x | +53 |
| Retail stores | 738 | 4,497 | 1.10x | -64 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 347 | 3,687 | 1.37x | +152 |
| Manufacturing plants | 284 | 1,023 | 0.80x | -44 |
| Wholesale distributors | 284 | 1,704 | 1.25x | +53 |
| Senior living and nursing | 140 | 276 | 0.73x | -8 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 123 | 889 | 0.34x | +2 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 103 | 899 | 1.39x | -26 |
| Grocery stores | 98 | 407 | 0.63x | 0 |
| Hotels | 91 | 276 | 1.25x | -4 |
Oklahoma City leans toward commercial property managers (2.10x), bank and credit union offices (1.39x) and medical, dental and outpatient offices (1.37x). 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 (0.34x) and hospitals (0.53x). 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 (+152), restaurants (+53) and wholesale distributors (+53). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Oklahoma City, OK: 7 counties in this report's counts.
Oklahoma County, Cleveland County and Canadian County hold 91% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma CountyStart here | 2,414 | 68% |
| Cleveland County | 554 | 16% |
| Canadian County | 256 | 7% |
| Grady County | 82 | 2% |
| McClain County | 49 | 1% |
| Logan County | 33 | 1% |
| Lincoln County | 22 | 1% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Oklahoma City
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 Oklahoma City figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial LandscapingMost room | #30 of 100 | 4.3 | 455 | -12 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #39 of 100 | 4.2 | 313 | -4 |
| Commercial Flooring | #27 of 68 | 78 | 15 | -3 |
| Managed Service Providers | #81 of 100 | 1.7 | 1,023 | +2 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #88 of 100 | 6.9 | 161 | -2 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #78 of 86 | 44 | 41 | +5 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #86 of 94 | 27 | 71 | +4 |
| Fire Protection | #90 of 96 | 24 | 90 | +1 |
| Commercial Electrical | #95 of 100 | 5.8 | 262 | -3 |
| Commercial Roofing | #87 of 89 | 29 | 61 | +2 |
| Commercial Construction | #99 of 100 | 1.9 | 571 | +14 |
Commercial landscaping (#30), commercial cleaning & janitorial (#39) and commercial flooring (#27) rank best in Oklahoma City. For those trades a program can work longer before it calls the same building twice, and fewer competitors have already pitched each owner.
Commercial construction is the most crowded trade here, #99 of 100: 1.9 buyer sites for each of 571 local commercial general contractors. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Commercial landscaping (-12) and commercial cleaning & janitorial (-4) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Commercial construction (+14) and commercial painting & coatings (+5) added them.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Oklahoma City 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
7 named, sourced projects and 7 anchor owners in Oklahoma City. 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 · $900 million Continental Coliseum Under construction; broke ground March 2026, opening 2028 A 750,000-square-foot arena for the Oklahoma City Thunder on the former Myriad Convention Center site in downtown Oklahoma City. The Flintco and Mortenson joint venture will release roofing, mechanical, electrical, fire protection and finish packages, including concourse, suite and court-level flooring, through 2028. Engineering News-Record, 2026-04-06
- 02 · $121 million MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium Under construction; completion January 2028 A stadium of about 10,000 seats south of Oklahoma City Boulevard and east of Shields Boulevard in downtown Oklahoma City. An 18-month build means general contractor and subcontract packages for electrical, lighting, concessions HVAC and site paving through 2027, then event cleaning and grounds work. News 9, 2026-06-01
- 03 · $179 million McKesson Moore distribution center Under construction; broke ground 2026 A highly automated 330,000-square-foot pharmaceutical distribution center in the North Moore Industrial Park in Moore, Cleveland County. Pharmaceutical warehouses need tight climate control, fire sprinklers, heavy electrical for automation, roofing and truck court paving. Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, 2026-07-16
- 04 · $1.1 billion Rock Creek Entertainment District Broke ground May 2026 A 269-acre mixed-use district in Norman with an 8,000-seat arena for University of Oklahoma events, hotels, retail and housing. Built in phases over several years, the district will bring site paving and landscaping first, then roofing, MEP and finish work on the arena, hotels and retail. Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, 2026-05-27
- 05 · $116 million Oklahoma City Public Schools bond program and new Capitol Hill High School Capitol Hill High School opened August 2026; other bond schools and additions continue A 292,000-square-foot Capitol Hill High School on Oklahoma City's south side, the priciest project in OKCPS's nearly $1 billion 2022 bond, which also funds several other new schools and additions. The new school needs custodial and floor care contracts now, and the remaining bond schools carry general contractor, fire protection and flooring packages over the next few years. Oklahoma Watch, 2026-08-13
- 06 · $17 million MAPS 4 Clara Luper Civil Rights Center Broke ground July 22, 2026; opening 2028 A 17,694-square-foot civil rights center with exhibits, classrooms and an event hall south of the Freedom Center at N Martin Luther King Avenue and NE 24th Street in northeast Oklahoma City, built by Crossland Construction. A museum and event building means fire protection, exhibit-grade flooring and painting subcontracts through 2027, released by the general contractor. City of Oklahoma City, 2026-07-22
- 07 · $18.7 million MAPS 4 Youth Center at Woodson Park Construction started 2026; opening 2028 A 48,370-square-foot youth center at 3403 S. May Ave. in Woodson Park with a two-court gymnasium, classrooms, teaching kitchens and performing arts studios, operated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County and built by Crossland Construction. Gym and classroom space brings athletic and resilient flooring, fire sprinklers and painting through 2027, then daily custodial needs once kids are in the building. City of Oklahoma City, 2026-09-23
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 Oklahoma City. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County
INTEGRIS Health
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber's major employers list (updated October 2025) shows INTEGRIS Health with 10,000 employees.
An Oklahoma City-based health system with hospitals, clinics and medical office buildings across the metro.
Greater Oklahoma City ChamberCampus · Norman, Cleveland County
University of Oklahoma, Norman campus
OU's Norman campus had an unduplicated headcount of 32,662 students in fall 2025.
A large residential campus with academic buildings, housing, athletic venues and research facilities.
University of OklahomaAirport · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County
OKC Will Rogers International Airport
The airport handled 4,605,097 total passengers in 2025.
A city airport with a passenger terminal, parking garages, airfield pavement and air cargo facilities.
Oklahoma City Airport TrustPublic owner · Midwest City area, Oklahoma County
Tinker Air Force Base
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber's major employers list (updated October 2025) shows Tinker Air Force Base with 26,000 employees.
An Air Force base and aircraft maintenance complex with hangars, shops, offices and airfield pavement.
Greater Oklahoma City ChamberIndustrial park · Midwest City, Oklahoma County
Tinker Business & Industrial Park
TBIP describes itself as home to a 40-plus member aerospace cluster of defense companies across two campus locations.
Office and light industrial space leased to aerospace and defense firms near Tinker Air Force Base.
Tinker Business & Industrial ParkMajor employer · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County
Hobby Lobby Stores
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber's major employers list (updated October 2025) shows Hobby Lobby Stores Inc, headquartered locally, with 6,500 employees.
A retail headquarters with office, manufacturing and distribution buildings in Oklahoma City.
Greater Oklahoma City ChamberMajor employer · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County
The Boeing Company
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber's major employers list (updated October 2025) shows The Boeing Company with 3,740 employees.
Aerospace engineering and maintenance offices and hangar facilities in the metro.
Greater Oklahoma City ChamberAnchor 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 Cleaning & Janitorial | 9 |
| Commercial Electrical | 9 |
| Fire Protection | 8 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 6 |
| Commercial Roofing | 6 |
| Commercial Flooring | 4 |
| Commercial Construction | 4 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 3 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 3 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Oklahoma City selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Oklahoma City 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 | 0 | 25 | 133 | 336 | 399 | 245 | 184 | 139 | 106 | 84 | 40 | 2 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 0 | 3 | 18 | 38 | 156 | 381 | 543 | 514 | 276 | 56 | 4 | 0 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 811 | 619 | 424 | 183 | 37 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 149 | 447 | 752 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 50 | 55 | 64 | 73 | 80 | 88 | 94 | 93 | 85 | 74 | 62 | 52 |
NOAA logged 890 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 803 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #2 of 100 markets for hail and #13 for wind. April, May and June carried 58% 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 1,991 cooling degree days a year (#23 of 97 markets) and 3,442 heating degree days (#58 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.
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 Oklahoma City, 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 Oklahoma City program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Oklahoma City-Shawnee territory.
- 3,522Commercial Roofing
- 3,522Commercial Construction
- 1,419Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 1,084Commercial 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 Oklahoma City
Before you hire a sales development rep in Oklahoma City, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 4,350 people hold the role in the Oklahoma City, OK 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 Oklahoma City 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: 1,187 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: 738 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: 347 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.
- How are walkways and parking handled when it snows or ices over?Patient access and slip risk are the strongest reasons a practice will act.
- Have patients complained about the entrance, parking or grounds?Complaints give the practice administrator a reason to push for a change.
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, Oklahoma City, OK.
- 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 Oklahoma City-Shawnee 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.
