Always have a ready excuse to get off the phone if the discussion drifts in a direction detrimental to you. If a long-winded caller or Soviet slicker will not allow you to make a graceful exit, you can exercise the option of hanging up on yourself. Please—I would never recommend that you hang up on another person. That would be discourteous and socially unacceptable. Hang up while you are talking.
How can you convincingly hang up on yourself? Very simple. Say the equivalent of, “Hey, I’m really glad you called. You know, I was just thinking about you yester——” Click.
The other party will never assume that you hung up on yourself. He’ll think the telephone company goofed again!
What’s the upshot? The other party will call you back. When he does, you’ve just stepped out, if you’re at the office, or you temporarily don’t answer, if you’re at home (“I had to get something from the garage”). This gives you time in which to prepare yourself so you will not be at the mercy of an unexpected caller.