Overheard a client say they hired me because I answer emails after 6 PM

I was grabbing coffee yesterday and the person at the next table was talking about their freelance writer. They said they picked them because they always got replies late at night. It made me realize my weird schedule might actually be a selling point. I've been working 1 PM to 9 PM for years, thinking it was a flaw. Now I'm thinking of putting 'available for evening consultations' on my site. Has anyone else turned a personal quirk into a real client benefit?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowan_wells6718d ago

Hold on, I gotta push back on this a bit. That 6 PM email thing is just gonna set up a bad expectation. Now they know you answer at night, so they'll gonna start sending you stuff at 11 PM expecting a reply by midnight. You're basically training them to think you have no boundaries. I had a client who bragged about how I was "always on" and it just meant they dumped last minute work on me at 7 PM on a Friday like it was no big deal. Leaning into the night owl thing is fine for a few clients in different time zones, but making it a selling point is gonna burn you out fast. You'll end up working way more hours for the same pay, just because you answered a few emails after dinner.

foster.wade3mo ago

That's actually a great point. My weird sleep schedule has saved me with clients in different time zones before. Definitely lean into it.

ellis.charles3mo ago

Yeah, I read some article about how night owls actually have a natural edge for global remote work now. Makes total sense.