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-sell·ing.

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. See soft sell
   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

Example Sentences

Promising that communities that donate their DNA will someday reap the benefits can be a hard sell.

From Science News For Students

Brand-sponsored shows are nowhere near new, but they continue to be a hard sell.

From Digiday

Convincing developers to invest money, time and resources into making a AAA experience in VR is a hard sell.

From Washington Post

That, plus the lack of results for many advertisers has made using LinkedIn ads a hard sell.

From Search Engine Land

All that’s required is a willingness for brands to partner with media sellers to use the same standard — which shouldn’t be a hard sell, given that both stand to gain.

From Digiday

As for the political class, I doubt I need to give you a very hard sell on its failure.

From The Daily Beast

A bemused line reading sneaks in when you are anticipating a hammy hard sell.

From The Daily Beast

No Kardashian coverlines, no hard sell on the clothes; the beautifully composed image was everything.

From The Daily Beast

“People are getting bombarded,” says Baker, and the need for reform is not a hard sell with these voters.

From The Daily Beast

She was there to sell her book, Hard Choices, out Tuesday, and Hard Choices got a Hard Sell.

From The Daily Beast