Itemized detailing bills

No way! IMO, that would just be useless information. Every product I purchase is written off at the end of the year.

Listing how much I use of each product for every job is useless info to both me, and the customer. I just put the service that was peformed.

I would agree regarding tracking your product usage -- it can help you to spot any areas in your process that may need further evaluation and maybe help you determine if you are using a product that isn't as effective for the job at hand as an available alternative. Not to mention it helps you keep track of inventory and know when to reorder so you're never accidentally running out of something in the middle of a job.

However, once you've got a procedure down to a science and can ballpark the average amount of product you use per job (to determine your costs) it becomes a bit less important to track every single detail you do.

As far as documentation to be provided to the customer, it really depends on the customer and the type of job you're doing for them how in-depth you need to get on the invoice. I think for most people and their daily drivers, just a basic listing of the services rendered is good enough. For a car enthusiast's weekend toy or a collector's show cars, something more in-depth may be appropriate.

In fact, I'm working on adjusting a lot of things about my business and one of the ideas I have been kicking around is offering an "Enhanced Documentation Package" as an up-sell for customers. This would include a full detailed overview of the vehicle and all major components/systems, a detailed map of paint thickness readings across all surfaces, photo/video documentation of the vehicle and/or the detailing process, and other pertinent information presented in a binder/folder along with a CD or DVD containing multimedia content.

This would of course take some time to put together (with a template it shouldn't be too big of a killer though) and I would have to charge accordingly, but especially for an enthusiast or collector it would serve as an enlightening "snapshot in time" of the vehicle's condition to build pedigree. That is helpful at judged show events and it could also come in handy when selling/auctioning the vehicle since potential buyers would be getting full disclosure about what they'd be investing in.

Just throwing that out there, anyway.

I can really only see it being beneficial if doing this work full time is new to you. I've been doing it full time for quite a while...so keeping track of every little bit of product usage to me is just a waste of time.

I've done it long enough so that I know how often to order something. Plus, I ALWAYS keep back ups of product. On top of that, my distributor can get something to me within a couple hours if necessary.

But I agree that knowing this type of info can be beneficial in the beginning. But for me...I buy so many products that are concentrated in bulk. In the long run...these products save you so much money, that useage just flat out isn't a concern of mine.

But, say you're using something like Sonax...hell yeah, you better watch your usage, ha. Products like that will burn a hole in your pocket real quick. If you buy $90 worth of Sonax that gets you 5 liters. For me, 5 liters is MAYBE a months worth of wheel cleaner...maybe.

The stuff I buy dilutes 1:3 gallons and costs about $16 per gallon. But that's 3 gals. When I buy it, I buy a 5 gallon jug which is cheaper down the road. I take that 5 gallon jug, and make two more 5 gallon jugs with it. That's 15 gallons right there. That's dirt cheap for wheel cleaner. That will last me a long time too. That's my mind set...and why I'm not concerned with usage. Cause all the products I use the most...are the same story.

Hoytman said:

Those of you that offer professional services, do you itemize your bills to reflect labor and the amounts of each product used? Or does the receipt just reflect the package bought?

Those hobbyists who do this on the side, do you give your customers a receipt and/or itemize it for the customer?

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Do you charge by labor and amount of product, or do you charge by the package? That would be the answer to your question. I really don't think that customers care about this information. All they care about is what their vehicle looks like. And it would just add more work for you to keep track of it and document it.

Hoytman said:

I guess what I was asking was do you break things down individually, or by the package. Sounds like most do it by the package. My only point was, that by giving someone a receipt it appears more professional...at least that's my mind-set.

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I think if you price by package you should invoice\receipt by package, and leave all of the other more product specific information out.

I agree that giving a receipt is professional. I didn't understand that was part of what you were asking. Sorry. A receipt also gives them a copy of your contact information for later when they need you back, or to make a referral.

Hoytman said:

Those of you that offer professional services, do you itemize your bills to reflect labor and the amounts of each product used? Or does the receipt just reflect the package bought?

Those hobbyists who do this on the side, do you give your customers a receipt and/or itemize it for the customer?

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When you goto mcdonalds do they break down their product cost? No, and I feel we should not as well UNLESS the agreement for detailing is for T&M (time n matereals). I agree with above in that most people really don't care about the details, just the total cost.