hard sell

¹

noun

1. a method of advertising or selling that is direct, forceful, and insistent; high-pressure salesmanship (soft sell ).

hard-sell

²

[hahrd-sel]

verb (used with or without object)

hard-sold, hard-selling 

1. to sell or advertise (something) in a forceful and insistent way.

   to hard-sell new car models to reluctant buyers.

2. to convince (someone) in a forceful and insistent way.

   to hard-sell customers on a new product.

adjective

1. characterized by or promoted through a hard sell.

   hard-sell tactics.

hard sell

noun

1. an aggressive insistent technique of selling or advertising Compare soft sell

Word History and Origins

Origin of hard sell¹

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55

Origin of hard sell²

An Americanism dating back to 1955–60

Idioms and Phrases

An aggressive, high-pressure sales practice or promotion, as in Used-car salesmen tend to give you a hard sell . This expression gave rise to the antonym soft sell , a low-key sales approach that relies on gentle persuasion. [ Colloquial ; c. 1950]

A difficult sales prospect, one who resists sales pressure. For example, Those brokers who call us at dinnertime find me a hard sell—I usually just hang up on them . [Late 1900s]

Example Sentences

The promise to announce any changes may also be a hard sell, he said.

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At first, the idea of having engineers looming electronically over the timing stand was a hard sell.

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These figures provide an opportune moment for some optimism and a hard sell of the UK to the rest of the world.

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The company has tried pivoting to a subscription model, but that has proven to be a hard sell.

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Any new musical is a hard sell to investors, but especially one with an elevator pitch that’s slightly odd.

Read more on Los Angeles Times