As part of the research that went into his 2012 bestseller To Sell Is Human, author and speaker Daniel Pink surveyed people on the first words that came to mind when they heard “sales” or “selling.”
Among the 25 most frequently used adjectives or interjections were words like “pushy,” “sleazy,” “manipulative,” “annoying,” “ugh,” and “yuck.” (I could go on, but you get the idea.)
This research validates some of the experiences many people have with salesmen.