Salesman Routes, Order Booking and Delivery Process

A distribution day has a rhythm: plan the route, take orders, check credit, load the van, deliver, collect, settle. When each step is written down and followed, mistakes drop and disputes shrink. This article sets out a process you can adopt on paper today and move into software later.

Step 1: Plan routes and visit days

Group dealers into routes by geography and market day. Give each route a visit day and a salesman. Keep routes realistic: a route that needs ten hours of driving will not be visited on time. List the dealers in visiting order, with their phone numbers and last order date. Review routes every quarter as dealers open and close, and consider seasons when roads are blocked by rain or landslides.

Step 2: Take the order

At the shop, the salesman checks what is on the shelf, suggests items based on the dealer's usual orders and records the order with quantity and unit. Good practice is to note the date, dealer name, salesman, items, requested delivery day and any scheme the dealer expects. Many distributors in Nepal still use a pad, a phone call or a WhatsApp message. Whatever the method, the order must reach the office the same day in one place.

Step 3: Check credit and stock before billing

At the office, before the invoice is made, someone checks two things: does the dealer have an overdue balance beyond the agreed limit, and is the stock available. If the dealer is over the limit, the salesman or manager contacts them for payment and the order waits or is partly released, with a named person agreeing to any exception. This single habit prevents most bad debts.

Check	If it fails
Balance within limit	Hold order, ask for payment, escalate if needed
No overdue cheque bounce	Manager decision on cash-only sale
Stock available in godown	Part-supply, substitute with dealer's agreement or backorder
Scheme applies	Add free goods or discount per rule and date

Step 4: Invoice and load the van

Create invoices with correct scheme, VAT where registered and dealer PAN. Sort invoices by delivery route and load the vehicle in reverse delivery order so the last stop is loaded first. Record what went on the van: item, quantity and invoice numbers. The driver or helper signs for the load. This gives you a defined quantity to reconcile at the end of the trip.

Step 5: Deliver and collect

At each stop the dealer checks the goods and signs or stamps the delivery copy. Short supply, damaged items and refusals are written on the copy on the spot. If the dealer pays, record the amount and mode: cash, bank transfer, cheque or post-dated cheque with its date. Give a receipt that matches the ledger. Never leave collection to be reconstructed from memory at night.

Step 6: Day-end settlement

When the van returns, compare three things: goods loaded, goods delivered plus goods returned, and cash and cheques received against invoices. Any gap is explained that day, by invoice, not by guess. Returned goods go back to the godown with a record. Cash is counted and deposited, and cheques are entered in the register. The salesman and the accountant both sign the settlement.

Step 7: Follow up

Each week, list dealers whose balance is past their credit days and assign a follow-up. A WhatsApp message with the statement attached often brings payment faster than a phone call because the dealer can see exactly which bills are open. Keep a note of promises and dates so the next visit starts with what was agreed.

Handling the awkward cases

Real days rarely follow the plan. A dealer may be closed on the day of the visit, so the order comes by phone and the delivery is done on the next trip. A shop may refuse part of a load because an item is near expiry. A bridge may be closed and the van returns early with half the load. For each case, agree a rule in advance. Orders by phone should be entered in the same register as field orders. Refused goods must be recorded as returned on the delivery copy, not simply carried back. Early returns must be settled at the actual stop, not rolled into the next day.

Also decide what the salesman may promise. Delivery dates, scheme terms and credit extensions should come from the office, not from a conversation at the shop door. When this is clear, dealers learn that the invoice is the final word, and arguments fall.

Measure the routes

Once the process runs, measure it. For each route track sales, collection, number of dealers visited, number of dealers who ordered and returns. A route with many visits and few orders suggests a weak product mix or a salesman problem. A route with strong sales and weak collection suggests credit that needs tightening. These simple ratios, reviewed monthly, guide decisions better than overall totals.

How software supports each step

The WebsNP wholesale software is designed around this cycle: route and dealer lists, order booking, credit and stock check, scheme calculation, van loading and settlement, a cheque register and dealer statements. It does not make the visit for you, but it removes the re-typing and guessing between steps. For fast-moving shop stock, see grocery and supermarket software.

Your next step

Pick one route and run the seven steps on it for two weeks with a simple settlement sheet. Note where records disagree. Then message us on WhatsApp and we will show how the same flow looks in the system with your dealers and brands.

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