Helpful guides

Advice from people who have been there.

Short guides for sellers, and for the customers who buy from them. How to set a limit, how to check a new customer, what to do when somebody stops paying.

12 guides

What do you need to know?

12 helpful guides

Guide / Reading time
001
Credit sales

How to sell goods on credit in Nigeria

Before goods leave your shop, agree the amount, payment date and delivery details. Here is a worked example and a checklist for the first sale.

002
Credit sales

How much credit should you give a customer?

A useful credit limit considers unpaid orders, replacement stock and the effect of a delay. Work through the total exposure before approving more goods.

003
Customer checks

12 questions to ask before giving business credit

Use these twelve questions to understand the customer, delivery and repayment plan. Ask for details you can use, without turning an order into an interrogation.

004
Agreements

What a credit sale agreement should contain

A credit agreement should identify the parties, goods, amount and payment dates. Use this checklist to spot missing details before the customer accepts.

005
Payments

How to track customer part-payments correctly

Keep each part-payment as its own entry, match it to the bank or cash record, and calculate what remains without overwriting earlier receipts.

006
Payments

A closing-time routine for customer payments

Match the day’s receipts to sales, resolve unmatched transfers and leave the next person a clear list of what still needs checking.

007
Late payment

Payment reminders that say what you need

A reminder needs the sale reference, amount and due date. Use these editable examples for a payment coming due, a missed date or a disputed balance.

008
Cash flow

Check next week’s cash before approving more credit

Compare confirmed cash and expected receipts with the bills due next week. Keep uncertain customer payments visible instead of counting them as cash in hand.

009
Business records

Keep customer records useful and private

Choose what belongs in the sale record, control who can open it, and prepare for a lost phone or staff change without sharing customer information widely.

010
Safe payments

Protect your business from fake bank alerts

A screenshot is a claim about a payment. Check your own transaction history before releasing goods or issuing a receipt, and investigate mismatched references.

011
Industry guides

Credit sales for building-material suppliers

For site deliveries, specify quantities, units and the authorised recipient. Record partial deliveries and shortages before they turn into balance disputes.

012
Business growth

Write credit rules your staff can actually use

A short credit policy should explain who can approve orders, what must be checked, and when supply pauses. Use concrete decisions instead of broad promises.