Good job, I would have a hard time explaining it any better myself.
I don't detail cars for a living but I paint classic cars full time.
Obviously I am buffing paint I just sprayed more often than factory paint but final polishing is key!!! To a wet looking job.
I use mostly 3m products.
For show finished I cut with 800, 1,000, 1,200, 1,500, 2,000 wet paper.
Than I cut with rotary polisher with a white wool pad and 3m perfect it II compound.
Then I cut with a white foam egg crate pad and 3m perfect it compound.
OK here is where the info is use full to you.
I polish with a gray 3m foam polishing egg crate style pad using 3m perfect it II foam polish pad glaze for dark colors.
Then I polish it with the same pad and polish but with an orbital.
I have been using this process for 10 years now. I have never heard and complaints about gloss at any major national car shows.