Applying psychological pressure (by appealing to someone's fears, greed, or vanity) to persuade the prospect to make a quick purchase decision. This approach is justified on the groundthat most people are lazy and will postpone making a decision even if it were in their best interest to make the commitment. This practice is, however, reviled when its sole purpose is the salesperson's gain at the customer's detriment. Also called high pressure selling.
SOFT SELLING:
Sales philosophy oriented toward identifying the customer's expressed and tacit needs and wants, through probing questions and careful listening. It contrasts with hard selling which promotes application of psychological pressure to generate a relatively quick sale.