The context
Procore is a US-founded construction management platform operating in a category that, at the time, had limited maturity outside North America. When Procore entered the UK & Ireland market, it faced three structural challenges that made this more than a localisation exercise.
No local brand recognition
Procore was effectively unknown in the region. The category itself was still emerging, and buyer trust in large US SaaS platforms was low.
A sceptical, conservative industry
UK construction buyers were resistant to software-led change, wary of sales-led narratives, and deeply sensitive to anything that felt imported or generic.
US-centric positioning that didn't travel
Existing messaging, decks, and narratives were built for a US audience. They relied on assumptions, language, and proof points that did not map to UK buying realities.
This was not a localisation problem. It was a go-to-market reset problem.
The problem to solve
The initial GTM approach struggled because sales conversations were anchored in US proof points that UK buyers did not trust. Messaging leaned on feature breadth rather than buyer outcomes. There was no shared narrative across marketing, sales, and leadership. And the category itself needed explanation before Procore could win within it.
The work
The GTM strategy was rebuilt from the ground up around UK-specific realities.
1. Local ICPs and buyer priorities
Rather than importing US segments, ICPs were redefined based on UK construction structures, project sizes, procurement models, and regulatory context. This clarified who Procore should not sell to, which buyers would move first, and where value could be proven quickly.
2. Reframing the category narrative
Instead of selling "construction software", the narrative was reframed around what UK buyers actually cared about: control, risk reduction, and coordination across fragmented stakeholders. This aligned with how buyers already thought about their problems — rather than trying to educate them into a US-defined category.
3. Sales deck and narrative rebuild
The sales deck was completely restructured: a different opening problem frame, fewer features but more situational clarity, proof points chosen for credibility rather than scale theatre, and clear sequencing designed to earn trust step by step. The goal was not persuasion. It was believability.
4. Tight alignment between sales and marketing
The narrative was treated as a shared operating system. Marketing assets reinforced sales conversations. Sales feedback looped directly into positioning. No parallel stories running in different teams.
5. Scaling without narrative drift
As the region grew, the positioning was protected and evolved carefully rather than diluted by short-term demand pressure. This discipline meant the story held together through rapid growth — and through Procore's IPO.
The outcome
Fastest-growing international regionUK & Ireland became Procore's highest-growth market outside the US.
Carried through IPOThe regional GTM narrative held together through Procore's public listing.
Informed broader decisionsPositioning work influenced product and brand strategy beyond the region.
Avoided early-stage GTM sprawlDisciplined positioning prevented the fragmentation that kills new-market expansions.
This was not growth driven by spend. It was growth driven by clarity.