For Any Project, Memorialize the Experience

We all think we will remember details about vendors and service providers who do work for us, but frankly I don’t.  If you do, your memory is way better than mine.

So, when I use a vendor or tradesperson, I have a “great/good” list and a “do not use again” list.  A couple of years after the fact, I will often remember the names from a specific project, but I am not positive if that was the electrician I loved or the one who caused us all the trouble.  

It is easy if you keep a list of vendors you use, with ratings.  I use a simple contact sheet:

• Name of vendor
• Who recommended them to me
• What they did
• The quality of the job

It may sound obsessive-compulsive, but I do it for everyone who performs a service:  tradespeople, caterers, music groups, florists—you get the idea. Once again, it just makes life easier.  Check out the sample contact sheet here.