Stop Wasting Your Time - and Your Customer’s: Rethinking Calendar Links and the Meetings They Create

Calendar Links are Great, But...

Let’s start with this: calendar links from Calendly, Vimcal, & Fantastical are a brilliant invention. They’ve streamlined the once tedious process of scheduling a time between two people, eliminating endless back-and-forth emails.

But something’s gone wrong.

Calendar links have become the default way to start any interaction. They’re now slapped onto tweet threads, LinkedIn DMs, newsletters—everywhere. “Book time with me here” has become the new cold call.

In solving the pain of scheduling, we’ve accidentally made “more meetings” the default - the opposite of what people actually want!

Our goal is to start a conversation and explore possibilities, not to consume more of our calendars, especially when it’s explorative in nature.

“A calendar link should be the reward for a good conversation - not the starting point.”

The Real Problem

This isn’t about calendar tools themselves—it’s about how we’re using them. When every interaction defaults to a meeting, we’re forcing our prospects, clients, and collaborators into a high-effort, synchronous commitment before there’s real value exchanged.

A LinkedIn DM or tweet thread that ends with “book a call” isn’t a conversation starter—it’s a conversion trap. It pushes people into your schedule without first giving them space to explore whether there’s a real reason to talk.  Worse, let’s say your pitch sparks interest and raises questions - you’ve now missed the chance to catch them at their peak intrigue by forcing them into a high-cost interaction later.

Sure, if you’re doing high-pressure sales and you need a decision now, meetings might be your only option. But most valuable business relationships aren’t built in 30-minute Zoom calls. They evolve through thoughtful exchanges over time as the customer learns and evaluates a fit for their situation.

The debated 67% stat - originally from Forrester via SiriusDecisions - says 67% of the buyer’s journey happens digitally, on their own time. Why debate it when you can embrace it? Instead of forcing them into your time, what if you met them where they already are – in the moment?

“We’re forcing people into high-effort interactions before real value is exchanged.”

What’s a Better Way?

Take a page from productivity expert Ari Meisel’s coaching playbook where he uses asynchronous communication to do pre-sales. His approach shows that when you stop treating every lead like a calendar invite, you actually build deeper, more productive relationships.

Start the conversation without the calendar.

Offer asynchronous voice messaging to allow your customers to start talking to you immediately. Create a space where both sides can think, ask questions, and respond on their own time. Let prospects explore your offering on their terms - not locked into a scheduled time slot.

This gives you something a meeting never will: momentum without friction. You create a thread that people can engage with as they go, and you earn the right to meet by providing real, thoughtful insight.

If your customer is thinking about your product at 10pm, they can ask a question right then-no need to remember or wait.  You aren’t relying on hoping they’ll follow-up later. Does your potential customer have a 2 minute question? They can ask it. They’re not going to book a meeting for that - they’ll just delay buying.

And when a meeting is needed? It’ll be obvious—and welcomed.

So how do you do this, practically? Just offer a link to asynchronously talk to you. What’s that look like? Ask me here: https://cv.chat/demo

Worried your audience won’t go for it? Frame it as a choice with built-in value:

“Got questions - Let’s talk for a free consultation. You can find time on my calendar here: <calendar link> OR ask here and we’ll usually be talking by the end of the day: https://cv.chat/demo”

You can even try adding it into the calendar link interface as an option instead of the meeting.

“Asynchronous voice gives you momentum without friction.”

Meetings Should Be Earned, Not Defaulted

Like any tool, meetings are powerful when used intentionally. But when overused, they lose their impact. If your goal is to build trust, educate, and guide someone toward action, asynchronous conversations often do that better—and faster.

So stop wasting your time  - and your customer’s. Just start talking.

Save the meetings for when they truly matter. Lead with value. Let the conversation flow — on your time and your customer’s.

Let your customer just start talking. The meeting will come when it’s actually needed.