Spur of the moment overnights

[JoeyBryant]

Past couple of nights I've just been wanting to bang my head on the desk because I had went in to see a client for a 1 hour booking, and then after the session he asked if I wanted to spend the night. I quoted my rate and he seemed totally cool with it.

 

Normally it wouldn't have been an issue to do so, but I was feeling very tired from the previous night and was running on 4 hours of sleep. I probabaly could have just jumped into bed and caught up on some sleep but I didn't feel I was mentally prepared to do it, afterall I didn't even have a toothbrush.

 

However, we did plan on meeting back up the next day. It was an elaborate planning and I assumed that all was well. But then, when I emailed to confirm...he said he couldn't do it because he had plans early the next morning. Although I was taken aback, I almost knew that he was going to have a change of heart the next day. But when he intially asked me, I kept thinking; what if he's not in the right frame of mind right now to make such an impulsive decision. And I was at his home, not a hotel...so part of me was considering that also.

 

Just wondering, have any of you had such requests? And if so...do you usually go up on the offer or do clients change their mind the next day?

[nate_sf]

This has happened to me a few times, and I think you the way you handled it is fine. If you're low on energy and can't extend yourself through the night, I think it's fair to let the client know. You could also ask him what he had in mind for the overnight... does he just want a warm body to lie next to (meaning you could catch up on your sleep) or does he want to be entertained through the night (meaning little or no sleep)? It's perfectly reasonable for you to tell him you're short on sleep, so you wouldn't be at your best if you stayed. Then you can both decide if it makes sense.

 

I wouldn't think too much about him canceling the next day either, especially if it was a work day. Once the sun comes up, daily life has a way of re-injecting itself, so what might have sounded like a fun daytime plan to him initially might not have been able to compete with the demands of work once the workday kicked in. Particularly if someone is traveling for business or has a demanding job, their time for extracurricular activities may be very limited so I would not take it too personally.

 

I'd suggest you send him an email and thank him for the evening, and offer to be rested up and prepared for an overnight for another time if he'd like to. I think he'll appreciate your professionalism in the long run.

 

Nate

[JoeyBryant]

Hi Nate,

 

thanks for the input. Unfortunently we did not arrange another meeting, but like you said I guess I can't take it personally. Sometimes the mood is either there or it isn't. I did email him after his response, but being that I cancelled some of my plans for the evening to meet him...I had to ask for a deposit if he wanted to extend it for Monday, in which I had planned to be going out of town that day myself. He didn't respond back so I just wrote it off as him being in the moment.