Selling is the work — and the skill — of getting people to buy something. It is not only handing over a thing and taking money. It is noticing what someone needs, talking about the thing in a way that makes sense to them, and closing the deal. People who do this for a living more often say they are in sales than in selling, though selling is still the dictionary’s job-word for that craft. You can praise someone’s selling: she has a gift for selling, meaning she is good at the persuading part. It can feel pushy if you only think of hard selling — talking someone into a thing they did not want — but a lot of everyday selling is quieter than that. A baker explaining today’s bread is selling too.