soft sell

¹

noun

1. a method of advertising or selling that is quietly persuasive, subtle, and indirect ( hard sell ).

soft-sell

²

[ sawft-sel, soft- ]

verb (used with object)

, soft-sold, soft-sell·ing.

1. to promote (a product, service, etc.) using indirect or gentle persuasion:

   an advertising campaign to soft-sell a new perfume.

adjective

1. (of a sales technique) quietly or indirectly persuasive:

   a soft-sell approach to marketing.

soft sell

noun

1. a method of selling based on indirect suggestion or inducement Compare hard sell

Word History and Origins

Origin of soft sell¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Origin of soft sell²

First recorded in 1950–55

Idioms and Phrases

see hard sell , def. 1.

Example Sentences

In those weekly talks, his poise and, of course, sweetness are blatantly Sufi, yet there is no hint of a bohemian soft sell.

From The Daily Beast

But the soft sell was too hard for him, and at times, he reverted to Hollywood Arnold.

From The Daily Beast