HARD SELL Definition & Meaning

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hard sell

noun

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

hard-sell

[ hahrd-sel ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with or without object)

hard-sold, hard-selling.

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

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51�Թ� 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

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Example Sentences

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.

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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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So the idea of making a documentary about a soccer league wasn’t a hard sell.

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But such a scheme will sound to some rather like freedom of movement, albeit for a narrow chunk of the population and so may be a hard sell for the UK politically.

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