Market report · Raleigh-Cary, NC
The State of Outbound Sales in Raleigh, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Raleigh-Cary, NC 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.
- 3,508business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #44 of our 100 metros
- 39buyer sites per paving contractor, #54 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 Raleigh
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 1,171 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Raleigh-Cary, ahead of retail stores (819).
Where the metro leans
Hosting and data processing companies: 1.97x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: auto dealerships (1.26x) and apartment and residential property managers (1.26x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Paving & Asphalt: #54 of 94 markets
39 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 52 local paving contractors. The most crowded is managed service providers, #98 of 100.
Biggest reason to call
Genentech Holly Springs Manufacturing Facility, approximately $2 billion
Topped out August 2026, completion expected 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 Raleigh-Cary
3,508 business sites in Raleigh-Cary have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #44 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 | 1,171 | 3,050 | 0.98x | +270 |
| Retail stores | 819 | 4,345 | 0.89x | +236 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 402 | 3,036 | 1.04x | +334 |
| Wholesale distributors | 305 | 1,574 | 0.99x | +219 |
| Manufacturing plants | 184 | 776 | 0.61x | +33 |
| Grocery stores | 173 | 524 | 0.65x | +39 |
| Senior living and nursing | 106 | 229 | 0.60x | +25 |
| Hotels | 105 | 237 | 0.79x | +12 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 102 | 837 | 0.56x | +4 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 87 | 737 | 0.94x | +31 |
Raleigh-Cary leans toward hosting and data processing companies (1.97x), auto dealerships (1.26x) and apartment and residential property managers (1.26x). 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 senior living and nursing (0.60x). 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 (+334), restaurants (+270) and retail stores (+236). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Raleigh-Cary, NC: 3 counties in this report's counts.
Wake County holds 87% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Wake CountyStart here | 3,035 | 87% |
| Johnston County | 364 | 10% |
| Franklin County | 72 | 2% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Raleigh
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 Raleigh figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paving & AsphaltMost room | #54 of 94 | 39 | 52 | +1 |
| Fire Protection | #57 of 96 | 39 | 53 | +2 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #54 of 86 | 60 | 30 | +2 |
| Commercial Roofing | #57 of 89 | 58 | 31 | +4 |
| Commercial Landscaping | #65 of 100 | 3.2 | 640 | +28 |
| Commercial Flooring | #50 of 68 | 57 | 21 | +5 |
| Commercial Construction | #91 of 100 | 2.7 | 317 | +34 |
| Commercial Electrical | #91 of 100 | 6.4 | 212 | +15 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #92 of 100 | 6.2 | 161 | +7 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #94 of 100 | 2.2 | 513 | +37 |
| Managed Service Providers | #98 of 100 | 0.9 | 2,160 | +188 |
Paving & asphalt (#54), fire protection (#57) and commercial painting & coatings (#54) rank best in Raleigh. For those trades a program can work longer before it calls the same building twice, and fewer competitors have already pitched each owner.
Managed service providers is the most crowded trade here, #98 of 100: 0.9 buyer sites for each of 2,160 local managed service providers. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Raleigh 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 Raleigh-Cary. 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 · approximately $2 billion Genentech Holly Springs Manufacturing Facility Topped out August 2026, completion expected 2029 A 700,000 sq ft biomanufacturing plant for metabolic and obesity treatments in Holly Springs, southwest Wake County, Genentech's first East Coast manufacturing site. With the frame complete, the job moves into years of process HVAC, clean utilities, high-capacity electrical, fire protection and cleanroom-grade finishes, supporting more than 1,500 construction jobs through 2029. Genentech, 2026-08-18
- 02 WakeMed Whole Health Campus Broke ground November 2025 A 150-bed Mental Health & Well-Being Hospital connected to a 45-bed acute care hospital with a 24/7 emergency department on about 56 acres at 630 Timber Drive East in Garner. Two connected hospitals bring healthcare-grade mechanical, electrical and fire protection scopes now, then interior finishes, site paving and landscaping on a 56-acre campus before opening. WakeMed, 2025-11-04
- 03 · $300 million Lenovo Center Renovation Under construction in phases, final phases proposed April 2026 A multi-phase renovation of the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State arena in west Raleigh, covering seating, concourses, premium spaces, restrooms, a new exterior and grand lobbies. Phased work around event schedules keeps interior trades busy: restroom and concourse renovations mean plumbing, mechanical and electrical work, and the later phases add facade, flooring and painting scope. WRAL, 2026-04-02
- 04 · $195.4 million Ypsomed Holly Springs Manufacturing Facility Announced October 2025, operational by end of 2027 Ypsomed's first North American plant for injection devices, a 110,000 sq ft facility customized from a new building at THE YIELD Holly Springs campus in Wake County. Converting a new shell into medical device production calls for controlled-environment HVAC, process electrical, fire protection and specialty flooring before the 2027 start of operations. Wake County, 2025-10-09
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 Raleigh-Cary. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Raleigh, Wake County
WakeMed Health & Hospitals
WakeMed has three acute care hospitals, a physical rehabilitation hospital and a mental health hospital for a total of 973 beds.
Five hospitals plus outpatient sites across Wake County carry central plants, sprinkler systems, patient-room flooring and constant environmental services needs.
WakeMedHealth system · Raleigh, Wake County
UNC Rex Healthcare
Wake County Economic Development lists UNC Rex Healthcare System with 7,700 employees on its major employers list for Wake County and Research Triangle Park.
A second large hospital owner in the county, with an acute care campus, outpatient buildings and parking that need mechanical, electrical and cleaning work.
Wake County Economic DevelopmentCampus · Raleigh, Wake County
North Carolina State University
NC State's head count enrollment totaled 40,503 in the 2025 fall semester.
The main campus sits on 2,099 acres, including the 1,105-acre Centennial Campus, with labs, residence halls, athletic venues and grounds.
NC State University CatalogAirport · Unincorporated Wake County
Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Wikipedia, citing RDU statistics, states that in 2025 RDU served a record 15.6 million passengers.
Terminals, parking decks, surface lots, runways and support buildings run by the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority across a 5,000-acre site.
WikipediaPublic owner · Raleigh, Wake County
State of North Carolina
Wake County Economic Development lists the State of North Carolina with 24,083 employees on its major employers list for Wake County and Research Triangle Park.
As the state capital, Raleigh holds state office buildings, agency campuses and parking facilities that are maintained and renovated through public bids.
Wake County Economic DevelopmentMajor employer · Clayton, Johnston County
Novo Nordisk Clayton
Contract Pharma reported that Novo Nordisk's Clayton expansion will add 1.4 million square feet of production space for aseptic manufacturing and finished production processes.
The expansion sits alongside existing Novo Nordisk plants in Clayton; pharmaceutical plants run cleanrooms, process utilities and tightly controlled HVAC, plus large roofs, parking and secure grounds.
Contract PharmaIndustrial park · Four Oaks, Johnston County
Four Oaks Business Park
Johnston County Economic Development lists Four Oaks Business Park as a 307 acre master planned manufacturing and distribution community on I-95 at Exit 87.
A certified industrial site where new manufacturing and distribution buildings bring site work, paving, roofing and sprinkler installs.
Johnston County Economic DevelopmentAnchor 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 | 8 |
| Fire Protection | 6 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 6 |
| Commercial Flooring | 5 |
| Commercial Roofing | 4 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 2 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 2 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 2 |
| Commercial Construction | 2 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Raleigh selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Raleigh-Cary 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 | 18 | 30 | 11 | 71 | 132 | 96 | 153 | 93 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 3 | 1 | 10 | 18 | 134 | 320 | 448 | 392 | 209 | 41 | 2 | 2 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 743 | 587 | 457 | 173 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 175 | 433 | 653 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 52 | 55 | 63 | 73 | 80 | 87 | 90 | 88 | 82 | 73 | 63 | 55 |
NOAA logged 115 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 535 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #34 of 100 markets for hail and #30 for wind. May, June and July carried 59% of the reports. Storms are not the main driver here, so roof age, leaks and budget timing carry the roofing conversation.
The metro averages 1,578 cooling degree days a year (#33 of 97 markets) and 3,278 heating degree days (#61 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.
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.
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 Raleigh, 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 Raleigh program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill territory.
- 5,416Commercial Roofing
- 5,416Commercial Construction
- 1,923Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 1,401Commercial 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 Raleigh
Before you hire a sales development rep in Raleigh, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 8,970 people hold the role in the Raleigh-Cary, NC 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 Raleigh 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: 1,171 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: 819 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: 402 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, Raleigh-Cary, NC.
- 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 Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill 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.
