How to find the right decision-maker for commercial work

Start with the work you want to win

Before searching for names, write down the service you want to sell, the types of sites you can serve and the area you cover. Be clear about whether you want planned maintenance, reactive jobs or installation projects.

“Industrial businesses” is a broad starting point. A warehouse that needs cleaning and a manufacturer that needs production-equipment servicing have different requirements. Your experience, capacity and qualifications need to fit the work you approach them about.

This gives your research a purpose. For a broader starting plan, see how to get commercial work as a new business.

Find out which organisation appoints the contractor

The name on the building does not always tell you who buys the service. Depending on the property and the work, responsibility might sit with the occupier, landlord, managing agent, an external facilities company or a main contractor.

Start by checking the company's own website, the site's information and any published supplier guidance. Treat the arrangement as something to confirm, especially if you are approaching a rented property or a multi-site business.

If the answer is an external company, ask which team handles the relevant service or where supplier enquiries should go. Do not assume that finding the occupier's managing director gives you a direct route to the contract.

Which job titles should you look for?

Use these as starting points for research. Titles and responsibilities differ between businesses, and the first person you contact may need to involve someone else.

Procurement means the process of buying goods or services. A category buyer looks after a type of purchasing. Neither title automatically means that person can approve every job at every location.

Check the contact before adding them to your list

Begin with information the business publishes. Team pages, supplier pages, project announcements and procurement notices can help you understand who is involved and where to send an enquiry.

1. Confirm the business and site. Check the company name, location and whether your service fits.
2. Identify a relevant role. Use the company website and current professional profiles, rather than searching only for the most senior person.
3. Cross-check the details. Confirm that the person still works there and covers the relevant site or region. Record when and where you checked.
4. Look for a preferred supplier route. Follow published instructions rather than bypassing a portal or named procurement contact.
5. Mark anything you cannot confirm. A guessed role or old email address should not be recorded as a verified buyer.

A company-register entry can help identify the legal business or its directors. It does not establish who handles facilities, maintenance or supplier appointments.

If responsibility is unclear, ask a straightforward routing question through an appropriate business channel. You do not need to pretend you already know the person. Finding contact details publicly also does not remove your marketing and data-protection responsibilities; see the UK outreach checks below.

Check who approves the work and the spending

Someone can recognise the need for your service without being able to authorise the purchase. Ask enough to understand the next step, rather than insisting on speaking to “the decision-maker”.

• Who manages the need? The person dealing with maintenance, cleaning, equipment or the project.
• Who checks suitability? The person assessing whether your team can do the work.
• Who approves the spend? This may depend on the job's size or the budget available.
• Who appoints the supplier? The team responsible for registration, commercial terms or the contract.

These responsibilities may sit with one person in a small business or be shared across a larger organisation. CIPS describes procurement as a process beginning with the business need and specification, followed by supplier selection and later contract management. That is why a senior contact alone may not be enough. See the CIPS procurement and supply cycle.

A useful question is: “If you needed another contractor for this work, how would your team normally appoint one?”

Make your first message easy to answer

Explain your service, why it could fit that business and what you want to establish. Avoid claiming there is a problem on their site when you have no evidence.

Targeted cold email can help you introduce your business to researched contacts without waiting for them to search for you. Its usefulness depends on who you approach, what you offer and whether there is a suitable opportunity. Sending more messages to an unsuitable list does not fix the targeting.

These are opening snippets, not complete send-ready emails. Use only services and experience you can substantiate, identify your business and include an appropriate opt-out. Keep any follow-up relevant and respect a request to stop.

For the wider process, read how cold email outreach works. The cold email outreach checklist covers preparation before sending.

Be ready for checks before you can start work

An interested reply may lead to a supplier assessment rather than a quote request. Ask what the buyer needs before spending time on an application or assuming you are ready to work on site.

Depending on the job, you may be asked about relevant experience, competence, insurance and how you would plan and supervise the work. HSE's contractor guidance explains why businesses need to select suitable contractors and manage the risks of the job. See HSE: using contractors.

For example, CBRE's published mySupplier process requires an invitation and approval from a CBRE contact before registration, followed by information for its compliance checks. This is one organisation's process, not a rule for every commercial or industrial buyer. See CBRE's supplier onboarding guidance.

Keep relevant evidence organised and current. If the buyer requires capabilities you do not have, say so. Do not present a qualification, accreditation or site-specific approval as something you hold when you do not.

For a live tender, use the stated contact and submission route. An introduction does not replace the purchasing process or guarantee work.

Check the UK outreach rules before contacting people

The rules depend on the organisation, the contact data and the channel. A business email address is not blanket permission to send marketing.

• For corporate subscribers such as limited companies, email marketing generally does not require consent under PECR, the UK's electronic-marketing rules. Identify yourself and provide a valid opt-out address.
• Sole traders and some partnerships are treated as individual subscribers. Marketing email generally requires consent unless the soft opt-in conditions apply. A newly found cold contact is not automatically covered by that exception.
• Named work contacts can be personal data. UK GDPR requires a lawful basis and appropriate privacy information. Respect objections and keep suppression records so opted-out contacts are not added again.
• For marketing calls, check TPS and CTPS registrations and previous objections. If the subscriber type is uncertain, apply the more protective individual-subscriber rules.

See the ICO's B2B marketing guidance, checked on 25 October 2026. The ICO marks it as under review. Recheck before launching outreach; this is a practical summary, not a substitute for advice on your circumstances.

Keep a short record of what you learn

A contact list becomes more useful when it records responsibility and next steps, rather than just names and email addresses. A spreadsheet is enough to start.

• Company and site: where the potential work would take place.
• Service fit: what you could realistically provide.
• Responsible organisation and team: including any external facilities provider.
• Contact and verification: their role, source and date checked.
• Buying route: direct appointment, supplier assessment or tender, where confirmed.
• Next action: what was agreed, who owns it and any relevant date.

Record unknowns as unknowns. If a contact says they already have a supplier, establish whether there is a relevant future review or backup requirement rather than treating the answer as an invitation to keep chasing.

Review whether your research produces useful conversations, referrals to the right team, supplier invitations and genuine quote requests. Track won work separately. A reply or completed registration is not a contract.

Start with a small, relevant group of businesses

Choose one service and one type of site. Research a manageable group of businesses, check who buys that service and record how you would approach each one. Refine the list as you learn which arrangements and contacts are actually relevant.

Sources and review

Sources checked on 25 October 2026: CIPS procurement guidance, HSE contractor guidance, CBRE's published supplier process and ICO B2B marketing guidance. Links appear beside the relevant points. CBRE is an organisational example, not an InstallsUp client or partner claim. Contact-role suggestions and message examples are illustrative and need checking against the individual business.