The lost art of dialing

I write weekly about the strategies, habits, and tactics around cultivating the connections that matter to you.

Remember when calling someone was just... normal? You'd pick up the phone, dial, and if they answered, great. If not, you'd try again later. No scheduling involved. No calendar invites. Just human voices connecting across the void.

Now we treat phone calls like scheduling a root canal. We'll text, email, DM, tweet, LinkedIn message, send smoke signals – anything but actually press that call button. Getting actual face time requires endless calendar tetris and waiting until it's exactly 3 PM before you click "Start Zoom Meeting."

But here's the thing: some of your best and authentic conversations happen when you throw the playbook out the window.

The morning hack

Here's what we do in our sessions when someone gets all weird about making calls. If you're too nervous or it's too early to actually press dial, start with this: "Hey, you around for a quick call later today?"

That's it. No agenda. No formal meeting request. Just asking them to peep their calendar and see if they have a brief window available (not tomorrow or next Wednesday the Eleventeenth, today).

The ten-minute escape hatch

If the fear of being trapped on a 45-minute rambling session is keeping you paralyzed, try this: "Hey, just a heads up, I have a meeting in ten minutes but I'm free now!"

This gives both of you permission to have a real conversation without the pressure of endless small talk. Ten minutes is enough time to catch up and actually connect.

Taking action

Between meetings, when you have those random five-minute gaps, scroll through your contacts. Find someone you haven't talked to in a while – not someone you need something from, just someone you genuinely like.

Send that "you around for a quick call?" text. Or better yet, just call them. The worst thing that happens is they don't answer. The best thing? You reconnect with someone who matters to you.

Until next week, Zvi

P.S. If you're still scared to call someone, pretend you're dialing a pizza place. Confidence instantly goes up 80%.

On YouTube: The 12-Minute Weekly Ritual That Will Transform Your Network

Tired of networking that goes nowhere? This simple 12-minute weekly ritual will help you actually remember the people you meet—and turn those connections into real opportunities.

Topics we cover:

• The #1 mistake most people make after networking

• A 3-step calendar review to remember who you met and why they matter

• How a $50K deal came from a forgotten meeting

• What personal details to jot down so people feel truly remembered

• Easy ways to follow up that don’t feel awkward or time-consuming

You can see all my videos and interviews on my channel! If you find these helpful, I’d appreciate a like, subscribe, and share with a friend, colleague, or enemy.

If you found this valuable, you might love Relatable. It’s the CRM built from the ground up to help you grow your network, not your business pipeline (but it does that too).