Training, Coaching & Business Consultancy
Welcome to Nick Girling Associates Limited (NGA)
My name is Nick, and I am the author of the powerful sales enablement book,

The Intelligent Sales Professional

How to Smash Your Targets by Developing Your Sales Skillset, Toolset and Mindset.
The best £16.95 investment of your Career
Artificial intelligence may change the way we sell.
Human intelligence will always determine who wins.

Discounted bulk orders

Many people buy this book in quantity as a gift for their sales team.

Please use the secure payment facility for delivery within the UK.

For bulk orders outside the UK, please email me directly or buy from Amazon.

5 – 10 copies £14.95 each
buy 5 – 10 copies
Please select your quantity between 5 and 10 copies at £14.95 each, with free delivery.
11 – 50 copies £13.45 each
buy 11 – 50 copies
Please select your quantity between 11 and 50 copies @ £13.45 each with free delivery.
51 – 100 copies £12.95 each
buy 51 – 100 copies
Please select your quantity between 51 and 100 copies @ £12.95 each with free delivery.
Over 100 copies for price on application to [email protected]

Most sales consultants haven't closed a deal in years. Nick Girling is different.

He practises what he teaches daily, winning, losing and learning each year. The adage "if you can't sell, then teach" does not apply here.

This book is the real deal.

Nick has crafted a guide equally relevant to navigating complex enterprise sales as it is to transactional deals with smaller businesses. Far from a dry textbook, this is a practical companion you can dip into at any stage of the sales process, whether end-to-end or for a specific challenge.

The importance of self-awareness is woven subtly throughout; it's never lectured at you, simply demonstrated. A thoroughly impressive achievement.

Mohit Paul
Chief Revenue Officer
Extenda Retail

What the readers say

Surprise in sales is inevitable. Experience neutralises most of it. But experience is either earned the hard way or deliberately built. Nick Girling's book gives you the blueprint for building it the second way.

Jon Bennett
VP, EMEA Alliance & Partnerships
Merkle (dentsu)

This book reflects genuine, hard-earned experience - unvarnished and straight from the heart. Nick generously articulates what many of us intuitively know yet rarely take the time to express clearly for others.

I was hooked from the moment I read: "Know the power of silence. Know when to shut up and how to keep quiet." A powerful reminder of the obvious.

Listening to sales teams who provide feedback on selling services, objections often appear to centre on price and speed of delivery. Yet, when you truly listen, the real concerns are more often about trust and reliability and, increasingly, about how effectively the service can be positioned within the target market.

Louise Hervé
Global Development Director
Geopost

This is not just a book you read once; it’s a guide that supports sales professionals at any stage of their careers. I have had the privilege of being coached by Nick, and the fundamentals he taught me have stayed with me forever.

This book will remain on my desk and be passed on to future sales leaders.

Rekha Modhwadia
Audiology Relationship Manager
Specsavers

From the beginning of Chapter 1 to the end of Chapter 15, there are practical takeaways I can use straight away.

Nick Girling has written each chapter with great insight and made them relatable to every aspect of the sales process, using easy-to-use, practical tools and tips.

My favourite is Chapter 12, ‘Improving Sales Performance’.

This is an area that I have been trying to improve, and I will now employ this methodology in my daily sales activities. 

Tim Palmer
Sales Engineer
Wilson Tool Ltd

I thoroughly enjoyed this highly readable, relevant, and insightful guide.

It expertly captures the skills, habits, and mindset required to excel in sales, with compelling anecdotes that make the lessons memorable and practical.

This is an outstanding book and one that will become a must-read for my entire sales team.

Gordon Adams
International Sales Director
European Customer Synergy S.A.

As an avid bookworm and someone who has worked in sales all his working life, I was very keen to read this book.

It is clear from Nick’s early background that he has held similar roles and faced similar situations to mine, which made the book even more relevant. Once I started, it was hard to put it down. There are many helpful selling techniques, and the dos and don’ts are outlined clearly. The sales scenarios are very typical and resonated with me. Nick clearly explains how to carry yourself in a sales meeting, when to respond, how to respond, and when it is best not to speak at all.

If you are responsible for a team of salespeople, putting a copy in their gloveboxes is a must. Great book… 10/10.

Karl Krisiulevicius
Sales Manager UK & Ireland
Fiamma Spa

This book has given me a new perspective, despite 30 years in sales.

I have used the skills and methods in this book to extract more information from clients than I ever imagined. The Hook Question, the Funnel Concept, and listening to the last drop certainly help win orders, but my favourite is digging into the pain, which works wonders.

John Dady
Key Account Manager, Refining and Tank Storage UK
MRC Global Ltd

Having spent my career helping organizations build world-class commercial capabilities, I value resources that translate principles into repeatable action. Nick has done exactly that. The Intelligent Sales Professional combines hard-earned experience with practical tools that sellers can immediately apply to strengthen customer relationships, elevate conversations, and consistently improve performance. It deserves a place on the shelf of every sales professional and sales leader committed to continuous growth.

Brian L. Groves
Senior Director, Global Commercial Training
Tandem Diabetes Care Inc.

Nick’s focus on the continual development of sales skills is the difference between good and great. His writing style makes this a compulsive read, and it is easy to be honest with yourself and improve your game.

Bertie Stevenson
VP Sales Strategy
Dotdigital

I loved the structure of the book, and I know that this is going to be a resource that I will revisit repeatedly to help support me not only with day to day sales life, also with other challenging situations and negotiations. Nick reminds us that training and development is a continual process and having access to his teachings in this form is something which I know will be a great support to me as I continue my sales journey.

A must read for anyone no matter what stage of their sales career path.

Angela Taylor
Sales Manager
IPL Packaging
Buy now on

Table of contents

Introduction

  • What the readers say
  • Why I wrote this book, now, in 2026
  • How to use the book to help you sell more
  • Foreword by Jon Bennett, VP, EMEA Alliance & Partnerships, Merkle (dentsu)
  • My Story. About the author
 

Part One. Building Trust and Understanding Your Customer

Chapter 1. Building Trust. The Foundation of Every Successful Sale:

  • The Iceberg Theory: conscious and subconscious influence
  • Managing your influence
  • How your internal state shapes customer trust
  • The Trust Equation. The foundation of successful relationships
  • Self-orientation. The critical variable

Chapter 2. Asking Powerful Sales Questions That Reveal Customer Needs:

  • Two types of questions. Open-ended and closed-ended
  • Separating facts from emotions
  • Encouraging and enabling responses to our questions
  • Getting permission to ask questions

Chapter 3. Creating Customer Urgency Through Pain, Gain, and Value:

  • What pain and gain really mean in the commercial world
  • Why digging into the pain and gain matters
  • Preparing the questions to uncover the pain and gain
  • Framing the opportunity after discovering the pain and gain

Chapter 4. Transactional Selling. Creating Value in Short Sales Cycles:

  • Why transactional sellers leave money on the table
  • Using the Hook Question to explore pain points in transactional sales
  • Self-interest bias and motivated reasoning
  • The mini pain sales framework

Chapter 5. Sales Listening Skills. Why Great Salespeople Wait for the Second Sentence:

  • Not knowing when to shut up.
  • You look like you are listening, but are you really?
  • Listening to the last drop
  • Why listening to the last drop matters so much
 

Part Two. Communicating Value and Winning Commitment

Chapter 6. Communicating Value Instead of Selling Features:

  • Standard product or solution. A transactional sale of goods or services
  • Feature, benefit and what that means for you
  • The ‘So What?’ test
  • Three ways to use this today

Chapter 7. Writing Winning Sales Proposals and Adapted Solutions:

  • What makes a sale an adapted solution
  • To quote, or not to quote? That is the question. Writing quotations that sell
  • Five elements of an adapted solution proposal
  • Writing winning sales proposals and adapted solutions - In Summary

Chapter 8. Strategic Selling. Winning Complex Sales Opportunities:

  • Permanently involve the customer (PIC)
  • Key players in a strategic sales project
  • Five key elements of a strategic sales proposal
  • Excerpts of value proposals

Chapter 9. Handling Sales Objections with Confidence:

  • Prevention is better than a cure
  • Sales objections don’t only arise when trying to close the sale
  • The ‘yes, but’ attitude and why it fails
  • Feel, Felt, Solved
  • The power of silence

Chapter 10. Closing Sales Naturally, Without Pressure:

  • Laying the foundations for closing
  • Closing methods. The assumptive close
  • Closing methods. The alternative close
  • Closing methods. Do you trust me?

Chapter 11. Sales Negotiation. Protecting Margin While Maintaining Trust:

  • What are customers really negotiating?
  • Psychological safety in negotiation
  • The SAFE Negotiation Framework
  • The consequences of reducing your price
  • Negotiation checklist
 

Part Three. Building Predictable Sales Systems

Chapter 12. Improving Sales Performance with the 3Q Method:

  • The first Q is for qualification: choosing the right accounts
  • The second Q is for quantity: doing enough of the right things
  • The third Q is for quality: improving the standard of delivery
  • A 3Q self-audit checklist

Chapter 13. Building a Sales Process That Delivers Consistent Results:

  • What is a sales process, and why use one?
  • Will a sales process work for you?
  • The difference between transactional sales and consultative sales
  • A sales process checklist
 

An explanation of Chapters 14 and 15:

Chapter 14. Account Development Planning. Winning More Business from Existing Customers

  • Why bother?
  • Keep it simple
  • Know the current position
  • What are the competitors doing?
  • Turn it into action

Chapter 15. Strategic Account Development Planning for Major Clients:

  • What is an Account Development Plan (ADP)?
  • What should an ADP include?
  • The executive summary
  • Their current sales revenue
  • A financial overview
  • Customer sector trends
  • Customer statement of intent
  • Stakeholder map, DMU analysis and engagement plan
  • Competitor analysis
  • Customer pain statement
  • Customer gain statement
  • PESTLE and SWOT analysis (optional)
  • Action plan and timeframe

Chapter 16. Working with Nick Girling:

  • Sales and sales leadership development
  • Executive and senior leadership development
  • Coaching and mentoring
  • Who we have worked with
 

Acknowledgements, references and thanks

The next book: The Intelligent Sales Leader.

Buy now on

Read an extract

Introduction

It has been four decades since I first carried the bag.

During that time, I have worked as a Field Sales Representative, a Commission-only Sales Agent, a Key Account Manager, a Key Account Director, a Sales Manager, and a Country Manager with Consultative Sales Targets (which I still carry).
I have loved almost every minute - you can read ‘My Story’ after this.

Four decades of learning what works and what doesn’t, and what separates average performers from truly intelligent sales professionals.
Four decades of being mentored by the best and worst the profession had to offer.
Four decades of developing myself, because sometimes, if I didn’t sell, I didn’t eat.

I have seen talented people miss their targets because they didn’t know how to ask good questions and then listen, and I have seen less talented people excel and exceed all targets by consistently focusing on improving their sales skill set, toolset, and mindset.

The truth is that small habits, perfected and consistently applied, have a significant impact.
That is why I wrote this book… to give you practical advice, proven approaches, and mindset shifts that can make a real difference to your results.
My first sales book, Buy My Specs, was written to help optometrists navigate the blurred line between clinical excellence and commercial sales.
The Intelligent Sales Professional is broader in scope.

It is for every internal and external sales professional seeking to sharpen their skills, strengthen their mindset, and consistently deliver better results.
Whether you are new to sales or a seasoned professional, whether you are a Sales Representative, a Strategic Account Manager, or a manager of salespeople, this book will help you think more clearly, sell more effectively, and perform more consistently over the long-term.

Somewhere in here, you will find something you never knew.
Somewhere in here is something you once knew but have forgotten.
Somewhere in here, there will be something you could do better.
And somewhere in these pages, you will find one idea that returns your investment 1000, fold.

How to get the best value from this book.

I have deliberately written it as a continuum of a sales process, and as such, it is a brilliant read from start to finish.

It is also designed to serve as a practical reference when you need it most. Each chapter stands alone, so you can dip in wherever you need help, insight, or a quick reset. It is up to you how you use it. For example:

  • Read the chapter that matches your current challenge
  • Use the self-check questions to test your thinking
  • Apply one idea immediately in your next customer conversation
  • Revisit the chapter after you have tried it in practice

If you have a meeting this afternoon and know you will face objections, go straight to work on Chapter 9.

If you are meeting a new prospect tomorrow, read Chapter 1.

If you want to brush up on your listening skills, go straight to Chapter 5.

Or you could keep going from here to the end - it really is up to you.

The most important thing is not just to read the ideas; it is to use them. You will not improve any skill by reading about it alone.

As a dear friend once told me, ‘Nick, life does not come with a remote control. Get up and change it yourself.’

So, dare to dream big dreams, then take the actions required to make them come true!

(Thank you, Jon and Lynda Willis – Christmas 1995.)

Chapter 3 - Creating Customer Urgency Through Pain, Gain, and Value
Why Should They Buy from You?

Identify your customer’s motivation by digging into their pain and gain

Sales is not about presenting features. It is not about delivering the perfect pitch. It is not even about having the best product.

As we explored in chapter two, selling is about asking questions to understand your buyer, and the most effective way to do this is to uncover two key things:

  • Their pain - what is frustrating, costly, risky, or broken
  • Their gain - what they aim to achieve, improve, or become

On a personal level, we change our behaviour for two major reasons: desperation (pain) or inspiration (gain).

When life becomes unattractive or unwelcoming, it can be highly motivating to find the determination to change it. Conversely, imagining the upside and setting ambitious goals can be equally powerful. The idea of being better and achieving more than today is compelling.

Customers and prospects are the same. Over time, we can use carefully phrased questions to help them explore their current situation, including their business pain points and their aspirational gains.

The self-reflection this prompts is a strong motivator for them to change - and to act quickly - by choosing you and your value proposition.

During the sales process, you can use questions to help them explore where they are and where they want to be. You can help them envisage and articulate a future state that is so motivating it inspires them to reach their goals… by choosing you!

What pain and gain really mean in the commercial world

In simple terms:

  • Pain is the problem – the presence of something undesirable
  • Gain is the desired outcome – the absence of something desirable

To discover either, it helps to understand as much as possible about the prospect or customer’s business, including their plans, performance, market, strategy, ethics, culture and values, as well as their general direction of travel and purpose as an organisation.

Understanding these things shapes your questions and earns you the right to ‘dig’ into the pain and gain.

Some examples of pain you might encounter:

  • Lost revenue and/or market share to a competitor
  • Reputational damage
  • Wasted time and general inefficiencies
  • High costs
  • Low margins
  • Poor performance and low staff morale
  • Risk of missed opportunities or failure
  • Stress and internal pressure
  • Poor leadership and/or governance

Because we deal with individuals, whether they are employees of a larger organisation or owners of their own business, it is also important to understand their personal drivers and motivators.

Pain and gain are not always obvious. They can be deeply personal and must not be glossed over or ignored. Pain motivates people to move away from discomfort, and a great salesperson will carefully explore it with the customer or prospect.

Gain, conversely, pulls people towards opportunity and is just as important to explore. Again, it is often hidden and can be as motivating, and emotional, as pain.

Some examples of gains you might discover:

  • Increased revenue and market share
  • Higher efficiencies and lower costs
  • Better team morale and staff retention
  • Competitive advantage
  • Stronger reputation and market recognition
  • Faster growth
  • The ability to invest (R&D or M&A)
  • Personal pride and a sense of well-being and self-worth

Why digging into the pain and gain matters

There are three compelling reasons to master the art of uncovering pain and gain.

  1. You build trust
    When a customer or prospect feels understood, they relax. When they feel heard, they open up. When they feel seen, they trust you.
  2. It heightens the sense of urgency
    A prospect or customer might tell you that a problem is costing them £XYZ per year. Most people would acknowledge this and jump into solution mode. When you dig deeper with something like, ‘What does that mean for your growth ambitions over the next twelve months?’, it changes everything. Quantified pain, linked to goals, creates time-bound urgency.
  3. You avoid price objections later
    If the pain or gain is small, the price feels high. When the pain or gain is large, the price feels low. When you uncover enough meaningful pain and gain, the price becomes relative.

Research in behavioural psychology suggests that people are more motivated to avoid loss and alleviate pain than to gain something new, which is why pain discovery is so powerful.

That said, gain is what makes the future exciting. It speaks to ambition and to what the prospect or customer wants to achieve. This is highly motivating in decision-making, especially when the gain your value proposition provides frees up resources or capital that can be used to address the pain you have uncovered.

Your role in the sales process is to explore both sides of this motivational coin.

To be continued

Buy now on
About the author

I am a specialist Sales and Leadership Consultant with 24 years of global experience.

We are based in Leeds, England and work with clients, large and small, to support them with the following:

Sales and sales leadership development

I work closely with sales professionals to help them develop the skills, tools, and mindset needed to meet their objectives through high-quality execution, both as individuals and as a team.

Executive and senior leadership development

This involves me working closely with teams of leaders and managers to get the best from them, both individually and collectively. We focus on breaking down silos and building trust through psychological safety.

Coaching and mentoring

Whether working individually or in teams, face-to-face or via video, coaching and mentoring drive change. I work with people to help them identify the attributes and behaviours that serve them well as they pursue their ambitions.

Buy now on
Below are a few of the clients mentioned above.
Nick Girling Associates Ltd
Oak Tree House, 22 Acorn Way, Pool-In-Wharfedale,
Leeds, United Kingdom LS21 1TY
Visit us on LinkedIn
T&CsPrivacyCookies
Back to Top