Market report · Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
The State of Outbound Sales in Spokane, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 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.
- 1,428business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #90 of our 100 metros
- 12buyer sites per mechanical contractor, #26 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 Spokane
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 351 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Spokane-Spokane Valley, ahead of retail stores (319).
Where the metro leans
Senior living and nursing: 3.03x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: auto dealerships (1.24x) and colleges and universities (1.24x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Commercial HVAC & Mechanical: #26 of 100 markets
12 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 44 local mechanical contractors. The most crowded is managed service providers, #91 of 100.
Biggest reason to call
Spokane County PATH Diversion and Recovery Center expansion, $21 million
Under construction. One of 5 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 Spokane-Spokane Valley
1,428 business sites in Spokane-Spokane Valley have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #90 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 | 351 | 1,231 | 1.14x | +20 |
| Retail stores | 319 | 1,694 | 1.06x | -7 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 197 | 1,182 | 0.97x | +29 |
| Manufacturing plants | 159 | 561 | 1.10x | -13 |
| Wholesale distributors | 132 | 694 | 0.99x | +12 |
| Senior living and nursing | 95 | 332 | 3.03x | +31 |
| Grocery stores | 62 | 195 | 0.92x | +15 |
| Trucking companies | 42 | 289 | 0.80x | -4 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 38 | 294 | 1.05x | -6 |
| Hotels | 35 | 81 | 1.00x | +7 |
Spokane-Spokane Valley leans toward senior living and nursing (3.03x), auto dealerships (1.24x) and colleges and universities (1.24x). 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 (0.66x) and trucking companies (0.80x). A program built around those buyers runs out of fresh accounts sooner here.
Growing fastest over the past year, by establishment count: senior living and nursing (+31), medical, dental and outpatient offices (+29) and restaurants (+20). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA: 2 counties in this report's counts.
Spokane County holds 97% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane CountyStart here | 1,379 | 97% |
| Stevens County | 39 | 3% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Spokane
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 Spokane figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial HVAC & MechanicalMost room | #26 of 100 | 12 | 44 | +1 |
| Commercial Construction | #34 of 100 | 5.5 | 81 | 0 |
| Commercial Electrical | #35 of 100 | 12 | 57 | -4 |
| Commercial Landscaping | #52 of 100 | 3.5 | 257 | -4 |
| Commercial Roofing | #52 of 89 | 61 | 13 | +2 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #70 of 94 | 34 | 25 | +1 |
| Fire Protection | #72 of 96 | 32 | 26 | -2 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #82 of 100 | 3.0 | 204 | -9 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #74 of 86 | 45 | 19 | 0 |
| Managed Service Providers | #91 of 100 | 1.4 | 566 | +23 |
Commercial HVAC & mechanical (#26), commercial construction (#34) and commercial electrical (#35) rank best in Spokane. 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, #91 of 100: 1.4 buyer sites for each of 566 local managed service providers. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Commercial cleaning & janitorial (-9) and commercial electrical (-4) lost contractor establishments over the past year, so the same buildings are split among fewer firms than a year ago. Managed service providers (+23) and commercial roofing (+2) added them.
Not ranked here: commercial flooring (4 contractors). With fewer than 10 local contractors the ratio is noise, though a thin field is itself a sign of open ground.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Spokane 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
5 named, sourced projects and 6 anchor owners in Spokane-Spokane Valley. 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 · $21 million Spokane County PATH Diversion and Recovery Center expansion Under construction A 17,000-square-foot expansion of the Spokane Regional Stabilization Center at 1168 N. Cedar in Spokane that adds a 23-hour crisis relief and sobering services component. Graham Construction is building toward a spring 2027 opening, so mechanical, electrical and fire protection rough-in runs through late 2026 and interior finish and flooring follow ahead of opening. Spokane Journal of Business, 2026-04-23
- 02 · $16.3 million Spokane Community College Building 1 renovation and addition Renovation planned to start July 2026 A renovation of Spokane Community College's roughly 137,000-square-foot main building in Spokane, which will be stripped to its shell, plus a 3,100-square-foot addition, accessibility ramps and landscaping upgrades. A shell-down renovation of an occupied campus building replaces mechanical and electrical systems and calls for new paint, flooring and site landscaping on a phased academic schedule. The Spokesman-Review, 2026-02-15
- 03 · 95,000 sq ft McKinstry second prefabrication building Site work and shell starting summer 2026, completion 2027 A 95,000-square-foot fabrication building at 9610 W. 21st on the West Plains, about a mile north of Spokane International Airport, next to McKinstry's existing 68,000-square-foot plant. Site work and the building shell come first, creating paving and roofing scopes, with power distribution and process electrical for a plumbing and HVAC prefabrication plant following into 2027. Spokane Journal of Business, 2026-03-26
- 04 · $71 million Kendall Yards six-story mixed-use apartment building Construction application submitted A six-story, roughly 416,000-square-foot building at 1175 W. Summit Parkway in Kendall Yards with 200 apartments, 53,000 square feet for restaurants and retail, and two levels of underground parking. Underground parking and 53,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space add garage ventilation, fire protection and tenant improvement work on top of the residential mechanical and electrical scopes. The Spokesman-Review, 2026-07-22
- 05 · $2.5 million per building 4524 N. Barker Road industrial flex warehouses Under construction Two 18,000-square-foot industrial flex warehouses under construction at 4524 N. Barker Road in Spokane Valley, part of a site planned for 111,900 square feet of warehouse space. The first buildings target lease-up by summer 2026 and later phases continue the site, so roofing, paving and electrical contractors have repeat shell work, followed by tenant fit-out. Spokane Journal of Business, 2026-03-12
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 Spokane-Spokane Valley. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Spokane, Spokane County
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center
Wikipedia, citing the American Hospital Directory, lists 648 beds for Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, founded in 1886.
A large South Hill hospital campus with a parking garage and children's hospital needs HVAC, life-safety, cleaning and flooring work year-round.
WikipediaCampus · Cheney, Spokane County
Eastern Washington University
Wikipedia lists 9,922 students (2025) and a 300-acre campus for Eastern Washington University.
A 300-acre campus of classroom buildings, residence halls and athletic venues needs HVAC service, roofing, cleaning and grounds work.
WikipediaPublic owner · Fairchild AFB, Spokane County
Fairchild Air Force Base
The Spokane Journal of Business says the base is the largest employer in Spokane County, with over 7,400 full-time civilian and military employees on its 2024 largest employers list.
Hangars, flight-line facilities, offices and housing on an active base carry roofing, electrical, mechanical and paving work, often bid through federal channels.
Spokane Journal of BusinessMajor employer · Spokane and Spokane Valley, Spokane County
Amazon fulfillment centers (GEG1 and Spokane Valley)
The Spokesman-Review reports Amazon employs about 5,000 full-time and part-time workers at its West Plains fulfillment center and its 1.3 million-square-foot facility in Spokane Valley.
Two large distribution buildings with truck courts and big parking fields need roofing, paving, electrical and fire sprinkler service.
The Spokesman-ReviewAirport · Spokane, Spokane County
Spokane International Airport (GEG)
Spokane International Airport says it served over 4.3 million travelers in 2025 and its property spans over 6,000 acres.
The terminal, garages, cargo buildings and airfield support facilities need cleaning, HVAC, electrical and pavement work.
Spokane International AirportIndustrial park · Spokane, Spokane County
Spokane International Airport Business Park
Spokane International Airport describes a 540-acre industrial and business park surrounding the passenger terminal and airfield, next to Interstate 90, plus a rail-truck transload facility about two miles west of the terminal.
Warehouses, light industrial buildings and new pads on the West Plains need site work, roofing, paving and electrical as the park builds out.
Spokane International AirportAnchor 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 | 7 |
| Commercial Roofing | 7 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 6 |
| Fire Protection | 4 |
| Commercial Flooring | 4 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 3 |
| Commercial Construction | 2 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 2 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 1 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Spokane selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Spokane-Spokane Valley 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 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 24 | 130 | 118 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 1,151 | 946 | 835 | 603 | 361 | 192 | 53 | 58 | 230 | 607 | 924 | 1,165 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 33 | 39 | 48 | 56 | 66 | 72 | 83 | 83 | 73 | 56 | 41 | 33 |
NOAA logged 16 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 31 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #78 of 100 markets for hail and #84 for wind. May, June and July carried 74% of the reports. Storms are not the main driver here, so roof age, leaks and budget timing carry the roofing conversation.
The metro averages 305 cooling degree days a year (#92 of 97 markets) and 7,125 heating degree days (#8 of 97). Cooling load peaks in July and August; heating in January, February, March, April, October, 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.
5 months average a high of 60°F or more (May, June, July, August and September). 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 Spokane, 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 Spokane program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene territory.
- 1,752Commercial Roofing
- 1,752Commercial Construction
- 672Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 500Commercial 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 Spokane
Before you hire a sales development rep in Spokane, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 1,240 people hold the role in the Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 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 Spokane 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: 351 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: 319 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: 197 sites here
From our HVAC talk track. Patients notice a hot waiting room. Ask how comfort complaints get handled and who owns the equipment, the practice or the landlord.
- Does the practice own the HVAC equipment, or is it the landlord's responsibility under the lease?Ownership tells you whether the buyer is the practice administrator or the property manager, which changes who you meet.
- How many locations does the group run, and is service handled by one contractor or several?Multi-site groups often want one agreement across every office, a bigger first contract than a single suite.
- How do patient and staff comfort complaints get handled today, and how fast?Complaints in clinical spaces are felt immediately, and a slow response is the most common reason a practice will take another call.
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, Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA.
- 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 Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene 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.
