TL;DR: Key Takeaways
Prospecting isn’t a volume game—it’s a relevance game. You win by reaching the right person, with the right message, at the right time.
Right Person = verified decision-maker contacts (direct phone + email), not main lines or generic titles.
Right Message = building-specific context (age, systems, permits, ownership changes) that proves you’ve done the homework.
Right Time = buyer-intent signals and triggers (permits, vendor reviews, seasonal windows) so you’re catching active projects, not interrupting their day.
Tier your territory: Tier 1 (fit + signals) gets immediate, multi-channel outreach; Tier 2 (fit, no signals) gets a light nurture; Tier 3 gets deprioritized.
Keep outreach short, specific, and human; think in threads (waves across email, phone, and LinkedIn), not one-off touches.
Teams running this playbook see 5–6x higher connect rates, faster cycles, and a more predictable pipeline because conversations start warm, not cold.
How Prospecting Worked in The Past
You spent 45 minutes researching a prospect.
You found the facilities director's name on LinkedIn. Tracked down what you think is his email address with Hunter.io. Crafted a personalized message referencing the building and your services.
You hit send.
Three days later: nothing. A week later: still nothing.
So you follow up. "Just following up,” or “Just making sure you saw my last email..." Still nothing.
Here's what actually happened: Your email landed in an inbox with 47 other contractor messages from this week alone. HVAC companies, roofing contractors, janitorial services, solar installers, elevator maintenance, fire & life safety, building automation systems - all pitching the same way.
Your message probably said something like:
“Hi John, I noticed your office building is going on [x] years old. We provide commercial HVAC services and would love to discuss how we can help. Are you available for a call?”
The problem is, so did 12 other emails. Same opening. Same vague pitch. Same generic offer for a call.
Why would John reply to yours?
In most cases, he wouldn't. Not because your services aren't valuable. Not because the timing was wrong. But because your message didn't stand out. It looked like every other cold pitch in his inbox.
Then, we attempt to solve this problem by sending the same message 100 more times this week, hoping something sticks.
In reality, we’re just creating a bigger problem.
Prospecting commercial accounts has never been about working harder - it's about being more relevant than the competition. That means reaching the right person (not gatekeepers or assistants), with the right message (building-specific, not generic), at the right time (when they're actually evaluating contractors).
This guide shows you exactly how to do that.
Why Generic Prospecting Fails (And What Actually Works)
Let’s be honest: most sales reps have been prospecting the exact same way for 20 years - but today, we use higher-tech tools.
So we subscribe to a database, buy a contact list, or scrape LinkedIn for “facilities manager” titles. We send batch emails with a dash of personalization - maybe a name or company mention. We make cold calls to main office numbers, hoping to get transferred to the right person. Then, we follow up once or twice with a “just checking in,” and move on to the next item on the list.
That approach worked when only a handful of people were doing it. Now, every contractor in your market is running the same playbook.
By Monday morning, your average facilities director or property manager has already received:
8 emails about HVAC inspections
6 about roofing evaluations
4 about janitorial or cleaning services
3 about solar installations or retrofits
A dozen LinkedIn connection requests from sales reps “looking to connect”
That’s over 30 sales touches before 10 a.m. - and almost none of them stand out.
Imagine being on the other side of that inbox. Every subject line sounds the same. Every message feels interchangeable. Every offer says, “We’d love to discuss how we can help.”
Generic prospecting doesn’t fail because your product is bad - it fails because your outreach doesn’t feel relevant.
The reps who win aren’t sending more emails. They’re sending smarter ones. They’re showing they understand the building, the timing, and the person on the other end.
So, to answer the question: “What actually works?”
Outreach that feels specific, timely, and contextual:
Specific to the property: “I saw your 75,000 sq. ft. office pulled electrical permits in March.”
Timely based on buying signals: “Most teams evaluate HVAC systems around 20 years of age.”
Contextual to the role: “You likely manage multiple systems across sites - I’d love to help you prioritize replacements before peak season when systems are most likely to experience disruptions.”
That combination: specific + timely + contextual—cuts through the noise. It turns “another sales email” into “someone who did their homework.”
And that’s the difference between being ignored and getting a reply.
The "Right Person, Right Message, Right Time" Framework
This isn't theory. It's the exact framework commercial services teams use to break through the noise and prospect accounts that actually convert.
The framework has three layers. Miss one, and your prospecting fails.
Layer 1: Right Person (Verified Decision-Maker Contacts)
Most reps think they’re calling decision-makers - but they’re not.
They pull a list of “Facilities Managers” or “Operations Supervisors” from LinkedIn, grab the main office number, and hope the receptionist transfers them to the right person. Then they wonder why their connection and reply rate hover around 5%.
The “right person” isn’t a job title. It’s the individual who actually controls the budget or influences vendor decisions. That means verified contact information for the person who signs off on projects - not an info@companyinbox.com or a general phone line.
At a commercial property, that person changes depending on the service you sell:
A Facilities Director might handle HVAC, BAS, or fire & life safety systems.
A Property Manager oversees day-to-day building operations and vendor relationships.
A Building Engineer drives technical input and maintenance priorities.
An Asset Manager makes portfolio-level investment and contract decisions.
Here’s the difference in practice. One rep calls the main line and asks for “the person who handles facilities decisions.” The other calls Jennifer Martinez, the Facilities Director, on her direct line, with a verified email, a link to her LinkedIn profile, and context about her property.
The first rep waits for a call back that never comes. The second rep can have a conversation as soon as the same day, even if the answer is a soft, “No.”
Layer 2: Right Message (Building-Specific Context)
Even when reps reach the right person, many lose the opportunity by using generic outreach.
“Hi Jennifer, I see you work at ABC Corp. We provide commercial HVAC services and would love to discuss how we can help.”
That’s not personalization - it’s inbox noise.
The right message is specific to the building, not just the person. It shows you’ve done your homework and understand their situation.
Instead of saying, “We serve buildings like yours,” say, “I noticed your 75,000-square-foot building on Main Street pulled new electrical permits recently. Many facilities directors use this time to evaluate HVAC replacements - especially when systems are approaching 20 years old. Worth a 15-minute chat next week?”
Both messages technically reference the company, but only one demonstrates insight. One sounds like automation. The other sounds like expertise.
That’s what turns a cold email into a relevant conversation.
Layer 3: Right Time (Buyer Intent Signals)
Even the best contact and perfect message fail if the timing is wrong.
Most reps prospect at random - calling 50 accounts on a Monday morning without any sense of whether those companies are actively evaluating vendors. When you reach out at the wrong time, even great outreach feels like an interruption.
The right time is when a company is already “signaling intent.” That could mean a new permit for building upgrades, a change in ownership, a property manager taking over, or a spike in their online searches for your service category.
A rep who cold-calls a property that replaced its HVAC last year wastes their time. A rep who calls after the same building pulled $80,000 in electrical permits last month and has been searching “commercial HVAC replacement in [City]” all week? That’s perfect timing.
The difference isn’t the script. It’s the signal.
When all three layers—the person, the message, and the timing—line up, outreach stops feeling like guesswork. You’re not chasing leads; you’re meeting decision-makers where they already are, with information that actually matters to them.
That’s how the best commercial sales teams stand out in crowded markets.
But before you can do this effectively, you first need to understand who to target, and then you need the right tools to reach them at the right time.
Step 1: Build Your Tiered Target Account List
Not every building in your territory deserves the same level of attention.
Some properties are high-value and ready to buy. Others might fit your services but aren’t in-market yet.
The fastest way to waste time is by treating them all the same. That’s where tiered prospecting comes in.
Tiering your accounts helps your team focus effort where it generates the highest ROI. By separating who’s ready now from who’s just “good to know.”
How to Tier Your Accounts
Start simple. Three tiers are all you need.
Tier 1: High Priority — Act Now
These are your perfect-fit accounts showing signs of near-term need.
They match your ideal customer profile and are signaling intent:
Property size and type align with your sweet spot (e.g., 25,000–150,000 sq. ft. industrial or office buildings).
Equipment approaching end-of-life or recently showing issues.
Recent permits pulled (electrical, HVAC, plumbing, roofing).
Ownership or management change within 90 days.
Active online research for contractors in your category.
You don’t wait on these. They should be given attention in the next 24–48 hours.
If it helps to picture one, think:
A 75,000 sq. ft. office building with two 20-year-old rooftop units, $80K electrical permits pulled last month, and a facilities director who just searched “commercial HVAC contractors [city].”
That’s Tier 1. Call that property/ decision-maker today.
Why Tiering Works
Tiering brings structure to chaos.
It prevents your reps from spending equal time on bad fits and high-potential deals.
When everyone on your team knows who to call first and why, your pipeline fills faster - and with better opportunities.
It’s the difference between spinning wheels on 100 random accounts and strategically working 30 that can actually close.
Step 2: Research Building Context (Before You Reach Out)
Before you send that email or make that call, take five minutes to learn something real about the building you’re reaching out to.
Most reps skip this part - or worse, overdo it. They either go in blind or spend half an hour clicking through Google Maps, looking at aerial views, researching LinkedIn for posts, and county records, trying to piece things together.
Neither approach truly works.
The sweet spot is fast context. Enough to sound informed, not scripted. Enough to make your outreach feel like it came from a pro who understands commercial properties, not a random name from a spreadsheet.
Start with the property, not the person.
Everyone starts with LinkedIn - and while LinkedIn is a great tool, the building tells you more about the opportunity than the person’s title ever will.
Is it a 20-year-old facility with aging systems?
Is it an 80,000 sq. ft. office building or a small warehouse?
Has it pulled permits recently or switched ownership?
Those clues tell you what’s happening behind the scenes - budget cycles, maintenance windows, or upcoming capital projects.
And when you lead with that kind of context, you don’t sound like a salesperson. You sound like someone paying attention.
Then find out who actually makes the decisions.
Once you’ve confirmed the property fits your ideal customer, figure out who “makes the call.” In other words, who allocates the budget for your specific service.
That’s not the receptionist or “info@company.com.”
For most commercial properties, the real players are:
Facilities Directors – handle complex systems such as HVAC, BAS, and fire & life safety.
Property Managers – run day-to-day operations and select vendors, such as commercial cleaning and janitorial providers.
Building Engineers – know the technical realities and influence every quote.
Your goal isn’t to reach “someone.” It’s to reach the right person.
Look for something worth mentioning.
The difference between a cold email and a warm one is one line of relevance. You don’t need to write them a novel - just proof that you’ve done your homework.
They may have pulled a permit last month. New management may have taken over the property. New tenants moved in. Maybe their HVAC system is nearing the 20-year mark.
That one detail becomes your opener:
“Hey Jennifer, I saw your Joshua Street property pulled permits for a new tenant build-out. Many teams use that timing to evaluate their cleaning and janitorial vendors. Are your tenants happy with your current service provider?”
Now it’s a conversation - not a pitch.
Don’t overthink it!
This part doesn’t need to take all morning. You’re not writing a book. You’re gathering context you can use in a sentence or two.
If you’re using a property intelligence tool like Convex, you can find signals and search intent, building data, permit history, and verified decision-maker contacts in one place.
What used to take 45 minutes takes three - and those three minutes can be the difference between “no response” and “sure, tell me more.”
When you reference something real about their property, you instantly move to the top of the inbox.
It’s not about selling harder. It’s about showing you’ve done your homework before asking for their time.
One HVAC customer in Arizona and New Mexico, Comfort Systems USA Southwest, used to spend 2 full days per week/ per rep on manual research.
After implementing property intelligence, that dropped to just 3-4 hours a week. Sales Consultant Joel Martos: "I know exactly who to go after, and I can get right to the nitty-gritty with targeted questions on the first call."
Step 3: Craft Personalized Outreach That Stands Out
Okay, you’ve done your homework, you know which buildings fit your ideal profile, who makes the decisions, and what’s been happening on-site.
Now the question is: how do you turn that information into a message someone actually wants to respond to?
Most reps overthink it. They write as if they’re talking to a committee rather than a real person. Or worse, they sound like a template.
“Hi Jennifer, I hope this email finds you well. We specialize in HVAC solutions for commercial buildings like yours…”
It’s not offensive - it’s just forgettable. And when messages are forgotten, you’re left in inbox limbo playing the “just following up” game.
Make relevance your first line.
Decision-makers don’t owe you their attention. You have to earn it in the first sentence.
Instead of starting with your company, start with something real about their building:
“I noticed your Dayton facility added a new tenant this quarter - often that’s when teams look at janitorial vendors.”
“Looks like your office building just crossed 20 years - are you starting to see any issues with your HVAC units?”
“I saw your property management group recently took over the Jefferson Industrial Park portfolio - are you reviewing vendor relationships yet?”
“Saw the maintenance permit filed for your Westfield warehouse last month. Curious if you’re planning any larger upgrades before year-end?”
These aren’t tricks. They’re observations. And they immediately prove you’ve done your research.
Keep your message human and light.
Think of this like opening a conversation. Three to four short sentences are often all you need (and definitely no more than 100 words):
“Hi Jennifer, noticed your Dayton facility added a new tenant this quarter - many teams use that timing to re-evaluate their HVAC coverage and maintenance schedules.
We’ve helped a few similar facilities in your area reduce downtime by modernizing service plans. Worth a quick 10-minute chat this week?”
That’s it. Simple, relevant, and easy to respond to.
Outbound calls follow the same pattern.
The same principle applies when you pick up the phone: you have about two seconds to prove you’re relevant to someone juggling a hundred things at once.
If someone called you mid-task, you’d want to know why they’re calling right away. Your prospects are no different.
That’s why a line like,
“Hi, this is Mike from XYZ HVAC. I wanted to see if you’re looking at your HVAC systems this year,” dies in the first sentence.
You haven’t earned their attention yet. You might get a quick “No,” or even “We’re all set,” but at least you know where you stand with the prospect.
Below are eight different cold call scripts using a signals-based approach:
1. Ownership or Management Change
“Hi Jennifer, this is Mike from XYZ HVAC. I saw that Westside Properties recently took over your Dayton facility. When ownership changes, most teams review vendor contracts—are you in that process yet?”
2. Aging Equipment
“Hey Jennifer, this is Mike from XYZ HVAC. I noticed your Riverside office was built around 2004. Are you starting to look at those original rooftop units before next summer?”
3. Seasonal Timing
“Morning, Jennifer - this is Mike from XYZ HVAC. A lot of facilities in your area are scheduling pre-winter HVAC checks right now. Curious if that’s on your list for the Main Street property?”
4. Permit or Maintenance Work
“Hi Jennifer, this is Mike from XYZ HVAC. I saw your maintenance team wrapped up electrical upgrades last month. Are you planning to align any HVAC work while crews are still mobilized?”
5. Energy Efficiency or Rebates
“Hi Jennifer, this is Mike from XYZ HVAC. With the new Ohio rebate program rolling out, a lot of facilities your size are fast-tracking efficiency projects. Have you checked if your systems qualify?”
6. Tenant Turnover
“Hey Jennifer, this is Mike from XYZ HVAC. I noticed a new tenant just moved into your Jefferson Park building. That’s usually when teams revisit maintenance schedules—how are you handling that transition?”
7. Proximity or Local Credibility
“Hi Jennifer, this is Mike from XYZ HVAC. We just finished a retrofit two blocks from your Main Street building. I’ll be nearby later this week—would it be helpful if I stopped by to share what that project looked like?”
8. Preventive Framing
“Hey Jennifer, this is Mike from XYZ HVAC. With the kind of heat we had this summer, a lot of older systems are starting to show wear. Are you planning any preventive maintenance ahead of next season?”
Each of these openings gives the reason for your call. You’re still interrupting their day, but instead of hitting them with generic messaging, you’re referencing something specific, local, or timely that actually matters to them.
Like a professional peer who’s being helpful with a problem - not another cold caller.
Personalization isn’t about creativity; it’s about relevance.
You don’t have to be clever or witty. You just have to show that your outreach is grounded in their world. Mentioning a permit, a management change, or a system nearing end-of-life is more powerful than any fancy subject line.
When a facilities director reads a message and thinks, “Yep, that’s actually true for our building,” you’ve already won half the battle.
And yes, AI can help—if you feed it context.
Many teams today are using ChatGPT or another LLM to write sales messaging, and AI can absolutely help you scale this, but only if it’s drawing from accurate, property-level data.
That’s where tools like Convex’s Generative AI for outreach stand apart. When the model has access to real property intelligence (verified contact data, intent signals, the building’s age, equipment data, permit history, and recent activity), it can generate personalized messages at scale that still feel human.
But without that data, even the smartest AI just produces fluff.
The rule is simple: context first, automation second.
Step 4: Execute Multi-Channel Outreach (Without Being Annoying)
One email won’t cut it. One call won’t either. “Commercial-grade” outreach is about orchestrating a coordinated strategy, insight-driven touches across multiple channels and personas. Instead of thinking in rigid day-by-day cadences, think in waves.
Each wave has a purpose, a mix of channels, and a clear message theme that builds credibility over time.
The 7-Touch Cadence (For Tier 1 Accounts)
Day 1: Personalized Email: Subject references building context. The body offers insight. Soft asks for a 15-minute call.
Day 3: Follow-Up Email: "Hi Jennifer—following up on my email from Monday. Still curious if HVAC evaluation is on your radar, given the recent electrical work."
Day 5: Phone Call: Use the effective script. Reference your previous emails if they don't answer.
Day 7: LinkedIn Connection Request: Personalized note: "Jennifer - tried reaching you about HVAC eval timing after your March permits. Worth connecting?"
Day 10: Value-Add Email: Don't ask for anything. Send helpful content: "Saw this article on utility rebates for HVAC upgrades in Chicago—thought it might be relevant given your recent electrical work."
Day 14: Final Phone Call: "Hi Jennifer, Mike from XYZ HVAC—final attempt to connect. If HVAC isn't a priority right now, no problem. Worth a quick conversation if it is."
Day 21: Breakup Email: "Jennifer—clearly not the right time. I'll check back in 6 months unless you'd like to connect sooner."
Stop after 8-10 touches. If they haven't responded, move them to Tier 2 (nurture sequence) and focus on other Tier 1 accounts.
The 4-Touch Cadence (For Tier 2 Accounts)
For “good-fit” accounts that aren’t showing any buyer signals yet, use a lighter 4-touch cadence over 90 days. The rhythm looks like this:
Week 1: a LinkedIn profile view, connection request, and personalized introductory email with property context;
Week 3: a short follow-up referencing your first note;
Week 6: a value-add message such as a rebate update, maintenance insight, or quick case study;
Week 12: a final soft check-in to stay top of mind.
This slower cadence keeps you visible without overwhelming someone who isn’t yet in a buying cycle. It’s about staying relevant until timing shifts.
Also consider adding LinkedIn voice messages, Loom videos, and other strategies to increase personalization and face time with a prospect.
The key difference between enterprise-grade outreach and old-school prospecting is precision. You’re layering the right message across multiple channels, spacing touches two to three days apart, and always tying each message back to real property context—never generic filler. You’ll likely see stronger results when each interaction builds on the previous one, turning what used to be cold outreach into a connected thread of relevance.
The mindset shift here is simple: stop thinking in touches, start thinking in threads. Each thread connects a relevant insight to the right person, at the right moment, through the right channel. That’s enterprise-grade outreach—and it’s how commercial services teams turn cold calls into warm conversations.
Step 5: Leverage Buyer Intent to Know When to Strike
Timing changes everything. You can have the perfect contact and a well-crafted message, but if the prospect isn’t in an active buying cycle, even the best outreach lands flat. Buyer intent gives you the missing piece—the “when” behind every outreach.
What Buyer Intent Actually Looks Like
High Intent Signals:
Searched "commercial HVAC contractors [city]" multiple times recently
Visiting 3+ contractor websites in your category
Downloading buyer guides, ROI calculators, and comparison tools
Engaging with industry content (reading articles, watching videos)
Medium Intent Signals:
Searching general terms ("HVAC system lifespan," "when to replace commercial roof")
Visiting 1-2 contractor websites
Reading industry blogs sporadically
Low/No Intent:
No online research behavior
No contractor website visits
No content engagement
Why this matters: When a facilities director Googles "commercial HVAC contractors Chicago" four times in 10 days, they're not casually browsing. They're evaluating options. Your outreach at that moment is warm, not cold.
Using buying signals and intent data is the secret weapon behind many teams who create excellent outreach - it’s like being able to see what they want and create messaging that delivers it.
How to Use Intent Data
Prioritize Tier 1 accounts showing high intent first. These are your hottest opportunities - perfect fit + actively looking. Call them this week.
Move accounts from Tier 2 to Tier 1 when intent spikes. A property that was "good fit, no signals" last month might now be "good fit, high signals." Adjust your prioritization.
Adjust messaging based on intent level:
High intent: "I noticed you're evaluating HVAC contractors - worth a conversation?"
Medium intent: "Many facilities like yours evaluate systems around 20 years old..."
Low intent: Focus on education and value-add, not immediate sales conversations
Convex Signals tracks buyer intent for commercial properties and assigns scores, so your reps know exactly which accounts to prioritize each week.
Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
Even experienced reps fall into familiar traps when prospecting commercial accounts. Most of them come down to confusing activity with effectiveness. Here’s what typically goes wrong—and what to do instead.
Mistake #1: Targeting Too Broadly
Many teams still equate volume with opportunity. They’ll prospect 500 accounts, blast out 200 emails, and call it productivity. But if half of those buildings aren’t even in your ideal customer profile—wrong size, wrong systems, wrong timing—you’re wasting time.
You’ll usually see more success by narrowing your focus to 50–100 accounts that match your best-fit building and service criteria. These are your Tier 1 and Tier 2 targets. When every account on your list could realistically buy in the next 6–12 months, every minute of outreach compounds.
Mistake #2: Generic Personalization
Adding someone’s name or company to a template isn’t personalization—it’s automation. Real personalization comes from property context: age, size, systems, and recent activity. If your email could be sent to 1,000 people without changing a word, it’s not personal enough.
You may see stronger response rates when your message ties to a concrete detail: “I saw your Riverside office pulled $75K in electrical permits last quarter” or “Looks like your Main Street building is hitting 20 years this fall.” The more relevant the observation, the higher the reply rate.
Mistake #3: Pitching Too Early
A lot of reps lead with their solution before they’ve earned attention. “We do HVAC, we help companies like yours save money. Can we schedule a demo?” That pitch-first approach feels transactional rather than consultative.
Try leading with insight instead. Show that you understand what’s happening with their building or industry, and then connect it naturally to your solution. When you frame outreach as, “I noticed this pattern and thought you might want to know,” you sound like a peer, not a pitch.
Mistake #4: Giving Up Too Soon
The average rep sends one or two emails and moves on. But commercial decision-makers are busy. They’re managing vendors, budgets, maintenance schedules, and emergencies—all before lunch. A lack of response doesn’t mean a lack of interest.
Instead of quitting after the second touch, follow a structured cadence. Blend email, phone, and LinkedIn over a few weeks. Each message should build on the last, adding value or context. Persistence with purpose beats one-off attempts every time.
Our internal data shows that between 7 and 8 outreach attempts is the sweet spot for getting through to decision-makers. If you haven’t tried 7-8 times (or been told, “No,”) keep at it.
Mistake #5: Calling Without Context
Cold-calling still works - but only when it’s informed. Dialing a main office and asking for “whoever handles facilities” wastes time. It’s better to call one verified decision-maker and reference a specific reason for your timing.
A small adjustment like, “Hi Jennifer, this is Mike from XYZ HVAC. I noticed your team wrapped up electrical upgrades last month and wanted to check if HVAC reviews are part of that project,” instantly separates you from every other rep calling blind.
The difference is preparation. When you use data to give your call purpose, you’re not interrupting—you’re relevant.
Your Next 7 Days: Implementation Plan
Knowing what not to do is only half the battle. The real advantage comes from turning these insights into a consistent, repeatable process your team can run every week. That’s what separates reps who “get lucky” from teams that hit quota quarter after quarter.
Here’s how to take everything from this guide—the right person, right message, right timing—and put it into motion over the next seven days.
Day 1: Build Your Tier 1 List (1-2 hours)
Use property intelligence to filter for 20-30 accounts matching: perfect ICP fit + buying signals + trigger events.
Export to CRM with "Tier 1" tag.
Verify you have verified decision-maker contacts for each. If you’re using Convex, this is automatically done for you.
Day 2: Research Building Context (2-3 hours)
Review building characteristics, recent permits, and equipment age for each Tier 1 account
Note trigger events and buyer intent scores
Prepare personalized talking points for each
Day 3-5: Execute Outreach (3-4 hours daily)
Send personalized emails to all Tier 1 accounts (Day 1 of cadence)
Make phone calls to 5-7 highest-intent accounts daily
Log all activity in CRM
Day 6: Follow Up (2 hours)
Send Day 3 follow-up emails to accounts that didn't respond
Make second phone calls to accounts showing the highest intent
Day 7: Review & Adjust (1 hour)
Track metrics: emails sent, calls made, replies received, meetings booked
Identify what's working (which messages got replies, which accounts engaged)
Refine approach for Week 2
By Day 7, you should have:
20-30 Tier 1 accounts contacted
3-5 qualified conversations
1-2 meetings booked
Most reps see 2-3X better results in Week 1 than with generic prospecting because they're reaching the right people with relevant messages at the right time.
Final Thought: Stop Competing on Volume, Start Competing on Relevance
The teams we talk to every week don’t have a problem working hard - they do that naturally. Their challenge is using a hustle mindset to fix what’s really a focus problem.
Facilities directors get 50+ contractor messages each week. Property managers ignore cold calls. Building engineers delete generic pitches.
You can’t out-hustle that. You can’t out-volume it either. Sending more emails, making more calls, or blasting more LinkedIn messages just adds to the noise.
You win by being more relevant. That means:
Reaching verified decision-makers (not gatekeepers or assistants)
Referencing building-specific context (not generic templates)
Timing outreach with buying signals (not random cold calling)
The “right person, right message, right time” framework does exactly that. Property intelligence gives your team verified contacts, building data, and real-time buying intent. This way, your outreach stands out rather than getting ignored.
Want to see how property intelligence enables this framework for your team? Schedule a demo and we'll show you real buildings in your territory showing buying signals this week - so you can see exactly how to reach the right person, with the right message, at the right time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find the right decision-maker at a commercial property? Most commercial properties have multiple decision-makers depending on the purchase type. Facilities Directors handle complex systems (HVAC, BAS, FLS). Property Managers handle routine services (janitorial, landscaping). Building Engineers make technical decisions. Use property intelligence platforms like Convex to identify verified decision-maker contacts with direct phone numbers and emails - not generic titles or main office lines.
What's the difference between personalization and building-specific context? Personalization is "Hi [First Name]." Building-specific context is "I noticed your 75,000 sq ft building pulled electrical permits in March." The first is mail merge. The second demonstrates that you understand their facility. Always lead with context (permits, equipment age, recent changes), not just names.
How many times should I follow up before giving up? For Tier 1 accounts (high-value, showing buying signals), use a 7-touch cadence over 21 days: email, follow-up email, call, LinkedIn, value-add email, final call, breakup email. If no response after 7 touches, move them to the Tier 2 nurture sequence. Don't continue past 7 touches—it becomes annoying, not persistent.
What are buyer intent signals, and how do they improve prospecting? Buyer intent signals track online behavior indicating active research: searching "commercial HVAC contractors [city]," visiting competitor websites, and downloading buyer guides. When you reach out to prospects showing high intent, connect rates jump from 2-5% (cold calling) to 25-35% (warm calling) because you're contacting them when they're actively evaluating contractors.
Should I prioritize email or phone calls? For Tier 1 accounts showing high buyer intent, call first. They're actively evaluating, so direct conversation accelerates the process. For Tier 2 accounts (good fit, no signals), lead with email. They're not ready for sales conversations yet, so education-first messaging works better. Always use multi-channel: email + call + LinkedIn over 7 touches, not just one channel.
How do I tier accounts if I don't have property intelligence data? Manual tiering uses these criteria: Tier 1 = perfect ICP fit + recent trigger event you can verify (permits, ownership changes, visible maintenance issues). Tier 2 = good ICP fit + no trigger events. Tier 3 = poor fit or outside service area. The challenge: manual research takes 30-45 minutes per account to verify fit and find triggers. Property intelligence collapses this to 2-3 minutes.
What if my outreach still gets ignored after following this framework? Check three things: (1) Are you reaching verified decision-makers or generic contacts? (Main office numbers get ignored.) (2) Is your building context specific enough? ("I noticed your building is 25 years old" is weak. "I noticed you pulled $75K electrical permits in March" is strong.) (3) Are you targeting accounts showing buyer intent or calling randomly? If all three are correct and you're still getting ignored, test different messaging angles.
Can I use templates or do I need to write every message from scratch? Use templates as starting points, but customize with building-specific context. Create 3-5 template variations (permit-based, equipment age-based, ownership change-based), then fill in actual building details for each prospect. Never send the same exact message to multiple accounts—facilities directors recognize templated outreach instantly.
How long should I expect before seeing results from this approach? Most reps see immediate improvement, with connect rates jumping from below 5% to 15-20% and qualified conversations increasing 2-3x. From that point on, your sales cycle and services will dictate the rest.
What's the biggest mistake commercial services reps make when prospecting? Competing on volume instead of relevance. Sending 100 generic emails, hoping 2-3 reply. Making 50 cold calls to the main office numbers. Blasting LinkedIn connection requests. That's exhausting and ineffective. The shift: prospect 20 highly qualified accounts with personalized, contextual outreach. Quality beats quantity every time.
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