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hard sell
1noun
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)
to sell or advertise (something) in a forceful and insistent way.
to hard-sell new car models to reluctant buyers.
to convince (someone) in a forceful and insistent way.
to hard-sell customers on a new product.
adjective
characterized by or promoted through a hard sell.
hard-sell tactics.
hard sell
noun
an aggressive insistent technique of selling or advertising Compare soft sell
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of hard sell1
Origin of hard sell2
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
At first, the idea of having engineers looming electronically over the timing stand was a hard sell.
These figures provide an opportune moment for some optimism and a hard sell of the UK to the rest of the world.
The company has tried pivoting to a subscription model, but that has proven to be a hard sell.
Any new musical is a hard sell to investors, but especially one with an elevator pitch that’s slightly odd.
The tax burden, on average, is also generationally high – another reason these ideas could be a mighty hard sell even if ministers were willing to break their promises.
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