hard sell

¹ American  

noun

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

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hard-sell ² American  

[hahrd-sel] / ˈhɑrdˈsɛl /

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.

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adjective

1. characterized by or promoted through a hard sell.

   hard-sell tactics.

hard sell British  

noun

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

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hard sell Idioms  

1. 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]

2. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of hard sell¹

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55

Origin of hard-sell²

An Americanism dating back to 1955–60

Example Sentences

But she says that the idea was initially a hard sell.

From BBC

The hard sell for the beach club started as soon as I booked the cruise in mid-January.

From The Wall Street Journal

The project always had been a hard sell, given the recent history between the US and Serbia.

From BBC

That is a hard sell and most would seem to accept this as a VAR red card.

From BBC

It was a hard sell for then-President Lyndon Johnson, who had to convince Americans that their money was still worth something even if it was essentially worthless as metal.

From The Wall Street Journal