hard sell

See also: hard-sell

English

Alternative forms

• hard-sell

Noun

hard sell (plural hard sells)

1. A sales technique of pressuring the potential buyer to agree to a purchase.

   Antonym: soft sell

   • 1994 July 7, “COMPANY NEWS; Lockheed Set to Cut Price on F-16 Fighter”, in New York Times, retrieved 24 Mar. 2009:

     The Lockheed Corporation said today that it would reduce the price of its F-16 fighter plane, underscoring a new, aggressive posture. . . . "It's the old hard sell, which is necessitated by the market conditions both here and overseas," Mr. Dane said.

2. A sales transaction which is challenging for the sales person to make; any act or object of persuasion which is challenging.
   • 2009 March 24, Jane Taber, “Liberals fill coffers with pay-per-schmooze”, in Globe and Mail, Canada, retrieved 24 Mar. 2009:

     Mr. Ignatieff's predecessor, Stéphane Dion, was a hard sell on the fundraising circuit, but so far, the new leader has proven to be a draw.

Anagrams

• Hellards

Chinese

Etymology

From English hard sell.

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): haat¹ seu¹

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• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: haat¹ seu¹
    • Yale: colloquial sounds not defined
    • Cantonese Pinyin: haat⁷ seu¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: colloquial sounds not defined
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /haːt̚⁵ sɛːu̯⁵⁵/

Adjective

hard sell

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) having pressure towards the potential buyer to agree to a purchase

Verb

hard sell

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to conduct a hard sell; to pressure the potential buyer to agree to a purchase