Udhaar without the awkwardness: a weekly collection routine
Credit is part of doing business in India. Giving it without a system is what hurts.
In most neighbourhood businesses, credit is part of the relationship. Regular customers expect it, and refusing feels rude. The problem is not giving udhaar. The problem is giving it without a system, then feeling too awkward to ask for it back.
Why it hurts more than it looks
Money sitting with customers is money you cannot use to buy stock, pay staff or take a supplier's cash discount. Many owners then borrow to fill the gap, and end up paying interest on money that is actually theirs.
A four-step routine
1. Write a simple credit policy. Decide who gets credit, how much and for how long. For example: regular customers only, up to ₹5,000, settled by the 10th of next month. Tell customers once, politely, before you give credit, not after it goes overdue.
2. Keep one list, updated daily. Name, phone number, amount, date given and due date. A notebook works. So does the free Udhaar book on this site.
3. Sort by age every week. Every Monday, look at who is overdue and by how many days. The oldest dues are the hardest to recover, so they come first.
4. Remind early and kindly. A short message on the due date works better than an angry call a month later. Keep it friendly, state the amount and the date, and give an easy way to pay, such as your UPI ID.
The conversation that keeps the customer
When you do call, separate the person from the payment: “Aapke saath business karna humein achha lagta hai. Bas ₹3,200 pending hai, kab tak clear ho jayega?” Agree on a date, write it down and follow up on that date. If someone keeps missing promised dates, lower their credit limit rather than ending the relationship.
Do this today
- List everyone who owes you money, with due dates.
- Mark the three oldest dues.
- Send each of them one polite reminder. The Udhaar book on this site writes it for you.
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