Selling on credit is how parts shops win garage and fleet business. It's also how they quietly run out of cash. The fix isn't to stop giving credit — it's to track it tightly enough that you always know who owes what, and you collect before it hurts.
Set a credit limit per customer
Every credit customer should have a ceiling based on how reliably they pay, not how much they buy. Once their balance hits the limit, the next sale is cash until they clear some of it. Your POS should warn the cashier automatically — not rely on memory.
Record the balance at the point of sale
A credit sale should increase the customer's outstanding balance the moment it's rung up, and a payment should reduce it. If that math happens in a separate book, it will drift. Keep it on the same record as the sale.
Review your debtors weekly
Pull an aged list — who owes, how much, and how long it's been. Anything past 30 days needs a call; past 60 needs a plan. Consistent, early follow-up collects far more than a big push at year-end.
Make statements easy to send
A customer who can see exactly what they owe pays faster. Being able to print or email a clean statement on the spot turns an awkward conversation into an invoice they can act on.