PETS－2语法讲解(303)

It's a hard sell.
　　逛街的时候，最害怕被推销员纠缠不放，不断向你推销他的产品，游说你买…..让你无法拒绝，非买不可，这种强迫推销手法英文叫 hard sel1，英文可以说：It's a hard sell. (这是强迫推销)，相反是soft sell (软销)。如果说：It's a tough sell. 意思是‘很难推销’，英谚有句比喻销售技巧一流的说法：He could sell ice to an Eskimo. (他可叫爱斯基摩人买冰块)，那不是很厉害的销售员吗？
　　对话
　　Noel: How's the new job coming along?
　　Brian: Well, alright I suppose. It's a hard sell. The product is not completely reliable.
　　Noel: What do you have to sell?
　　Brian: Me! I'm an efficiency consultant. Actually I'm supposed to be at a meeting right now, but I'd rather go for a drink. Are you coming?
　　诺埃尔：新工作如何呢？
　　布莱恩：嗯，还可以吧。并不是容易的工作，那产品不太可靠。
　　诺埃尔：你要推销什么？
　　布莱恩：我自己！我是效率顾问，其实我现在应该要开会，但我想先喝些东西，一块儿去吗？
　　推销手法一般而言不外两种：hard sell（硬推销）和soft sell（软推销）。我们可以说：Hard sell is aggressive advertising or never-take-no-for-an-answer selling, while soft sell is advertising or selling in a coaxing tone.（硬推销是强劲的宣传或‘不达目的不罢休’销售法，软推销则是以哄诱语气宣传或兜售）。
　　Hard sell和soft sell常见于to give something（或somebody）the hard/soft sell这成语，例如：(1) They decided to give their new product the hard/soft sell.（他们决定，新产品使用硬推销法/软推销法）。(2) The salesman gave me the hard sell.（或I got the hard sell）, which decided me against buying the massager.（那售货员向我硬推销，结果我决定不买那按摩器）。(3) He used a soft sell, leaving us to decide whether to buy or not.（他用软推销法，任由我们决定买不买）。
　　有连字号(hyphen)的hard-sell、soft-sell是动词，加ing则可作形容词用，例如：(1) The company is soft-selling its health food.（那家公司软推销其健康食品）。(2) Many job application letters are rather too hard-selling.（不少求职信都稍嫌过份硬推销求职者的优点）。
　　Hard sell有时还可以指 ‘难以卖出’或 ‘难以被人接受’的情况，例如：(1) During the financial storm, luxury cars proved a hard sell.（金融风暴期间，豪华汽车很难卖出）。(2) Getting him to take out a life policy was a hard sell.（要他投保人寿险，可真不容易）。