Selling on credit wins customers. Collecting is where the profit is either kept or quietly lost. Most late payments are not refusals — they are forgotten, or nobody asked at the right moment.
Before the sale
- Agree the terms — 15 days, 30 days, the next market day — and write the due date on the bill.
- Know the customer’s balance before giving more credit. A customer who owes from three bills ago is a conversation, not a new sale.
When money comes in
- Record every payment the day it arrives, against the bill it pays — including part payments. “₹3,000 on the 5th” is evidence; “paid some” is a dispute waiting to happen.
- Give a receipt or confirmation. It ends arguments before they start.
Following up
- Set a follow-up date on each unpaid bill. Then you call the right people on the right day, instead of everyone when cash is short.
- Remind before it is late, not only after. A gentle message on the due date gets paid more often than an annoyed one a month later.
- Send the bill again with the reminder, so nobody has to search for it.
Once a week
Look at who owes you what, largest first. The top five names are usually most of the money. Call them.
In Billyng
Record part payments against a bill as they come in, and its status moves from Unpaid to Part paid to Paid. Set a follow-up date and a reminder on any unpaid bill, and see who to chase today. Each customer’s khata shows every bill and payment with the balance after each line, and the khata list puts the biggest balances first.