When a Good Customer Stops Paying: Structured responses to past-due credit requests, disputed invoices after delivery, and first-order net-90 demands from customers you cannot afford to lose.

A six-question diagnostic intake routes the reader to the right framework based on which trigger has fired.

Top Customer Past-Due Credit Request. Run when a top customer with a 120-day-or-greater past-due balance requests additional credit. Reconstructs the existing exposure, computes the cost of escalation, and produces a structured response with conditional credit options. Two worked examples: a B2B distributor managing a long-tenured customer, and an engineering services firm managing a project-based client.

Invoice Dispute Resolution. Run when a customer disputes an invoice 60 days after delivery and the dispute amount is material to the period. Reconstructs the documentary trail, separates legitimate from tactical disputes, and produces a structured resolution with cumulative aging implications. Two worked examples: a product delivery operator handling a goods dispute, and a Surabaya cleaning services firm handling a services-contract dispute.

New Big-Ticket Customer Net-90 Request. Run when a new big-ticket customer requests net-90 payment terms on a first order. Computes the working capital impact, models the customer credit risk, and produces a structured counter-offer that protects cash without losing the relationship. Two worked examples: a building materials distributor evaluating a contractor's order, and a Jakarta professional training and consulting firm evaluating a corporate prospect's program commitment.

Each tool carries a self-scoring rubric, a quick decision tree, and tier adaptations for single-owner shops, mid-tier businesses, and pre-IPO operations. The response plan at the back sequences the three frameworks across the first 48 hours, the first week, and the first month after a trigger fires.

This companion draws on operator experience running businesses in Indonesia. Examples, currency, and operational texture reflect that origin. The frameworks carry across to small and mid-sized businesses in other emerging markets and many developed-market SME settings.

What this companion does NOT do

Replace Accounts Receivable Recovery (Operator Playbooks 14).

Substitute for the weekly-rhythm or quarterly-review companions.

Who This Is For

Operators facing a specific receivables trigger right now.

Owners with concentrated customer exposure who need structured pre-call analysis.

Mid-tier directors who need documented response procedures before any major receivables crisis lands.

Topics and Keywords receivables crisis response, top customer credit request, invoice dispute, net-90 payment terms, scenario-triggered AR decisions, customer credit risk, SME receivables under pressure