A customer buys the paint herself to save money. The decorator arrives, finds a retail version of a brand with a different coverage, and needs a third coat on the dark feature wall.
She has bought two tins. Somebody now has to go and buy a third, and there is a conversation about who pays for it that neither of them wanted.
1. Settle supply at quotation stage
Who buys, who chooses, who transports and who stores it. One line in the quotation removes the entire category of problem.
2. Explain what your price includes
Whether the figure covers materials, and if so which grade. Customers comparing quotations cannot do so unless this is stated.
3. Say plainly why trade products differ
Coverage, opacity and durability vary between trade and retail lines under the same name, and customers genuinely do not know this.
4. Quantify the coverage honestly
How many coats for their situation, including over dark colours, new plaster or bare timber, and what that means in litres.
5. Be clear about who owns the shortfall
If you estimate and it is short, that is yours. If the customer supplies and it is short, that should have been agreed. Either way, write it down.
6. Handle customer supplied paint with conditions
Fine, provided you state that you cannot warrant coverage or finish on a product you did not choose. That is reasonable and it should be said kindly.
7. Explain any markup openly
Where you buy materials and add a margin for the sourcing, transport and risk, say so. A stated margin is accepted and a concealed one is discovered.
8. Cover the specialist products
Primers, stain blockers, anti mould and floor finishes are not interchangeable, and a customer buying a general product for a specific problem needs telling.
9. Deal with leftover paint deliberately
Who keeps it, whether it is labelled and where it is stored. Small thing, frequently resented, easily solved by saying so.
9b. Agree where the paint is stored on site
Tins left in an unheated garage over a winter job can be spoiled entirely, and a customer who bought them will not expect to replace them. Naming somewhere dry and frost free at the start costs nothing and prevents a claim nobody wants to make.
9c. Record the exact products used
Brand, line, finish and colour code, written down and left with the customer. Touching up in two years is trivial with that information and effectively impossible without it, and being the decorator who provided it is why people call the same person back.
10. Manage the colour choice separately
Supply and colour are different conversations, and the second is covered in colour consultation and sample questions from clients.
11. Handle exterior products with extra care
Weather, substrate and timing all interact with product choice outdoors, as set out in exterior painting enquiries and the weather question.
12. Borrow from trades with strong product opinions
The same customer supplied materials tension exists elsewhere, as in ceramic coating and paint correction enquiries.
13. Put the position on the website
A short page explaining how you handle materials, why trade products are used and what happens if a customer wants to supply their own. Nobody else has one.
14. Capture the detail at enquiry
An assistant that asks the rooms, the current colour, the intended colour, whether the customer wants to supply the paint and whether anything is new plaster gives you enough to quote coverage properly. Recurring maintenance work benefits from the same handling as in ai assistant subscription business.
15. What agreeing supply first prevents
A trip to a shop on day two that neither party wants to pay for. See features, start at try, and the sector view sits under contractors.