Aggressive sales tactics

In advertising, a hard sell is an advertisement or campaign that uses a more direct, forceful, and overt sales message. This approach is the diametric counterpart of a soft sell.

The term is also used to describe aggressive sales techniques used by company representatives, particularly in the context of doorstep selling.

The concepts that distinguish a hard sell from a soft sell have to do with directness of an advertiser or seller, rational appeal, and the amount of information given to the buyer about a product. A hard sell is extremely direct in nature. An advertisement will contain a forceful, loud slogan in order to grab buyers' attention, or a salesperson will be very persistent, cornering their buyer into purchasing the product they are selling. In a hard sell, the advertisement or seller will focus heavily on the quality of the product and explain how purchasing such a product will be a rational decision that will help improve the buyer's life. In this type of sell, an abundance of information is supplied to the buyer in order for them to receive as much information about the perks of the product as possible. The advertisement or seller uses such tactics to overwhelm the buyer with explanations, information, and persistence in order to ultimately create large incentive to purchase what they are selling. This selling tactic is best described as quick and forceful.

A soft sell is much more emotionally focused when put in comparison to a hard sell. An advertisement or seller will attempt to trigger feelings in the buyer that will make them want to buy the product that is being advertised. This selling technique is also much more indirect in nature than that of a hard sell. The subtlety of a soft sell is very evident, and many buyers often do not realize that they are being purposely directed in such a way to buy a product how a seller predicts that they will. This type of sell's ultimate goal is to create a mood or image that will appeal to the buyer and make them want to invest their money in a product, all without the buyer realizing that this is occurring. Persistence is not as involved in a soft sell as it is in a hard sell.

The advantage of immediacy plays a large role in the concept of a hard sell and why so many advertisements and salespeople use this type of technique. Because this type of sell is so direct and blatant in nature, the consumer will most likely buy the product on the spot. A perfect example of this are mail order ads, where readers are urged to fill out a coupon right away. In opposition, a soft sell ad, because of its indirectness and subtlety, will allow for a person to have more time to make a decision as to whether or not they would like to invest their money in a product. A prime example of this type of sell would be life insurance ads where emotional appeals of family and security are mentioned. Consumers are put in a less pressured environment, allowing them to contemplate their decision on whether or not to buy a product. Immediacy is more evident in a hard sell.

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