Van sales software lets a distributor treat each van as a small moving warehouse: the rep loads stock in the morning, sells and collects cash on a planned route, logs every visit, and closes the day with stock and cash that match. In Lebanon, where many shops still pay cash in dollars and lira and the signal drops in the mountains, the system must handle two currencies and keep working on the road. This guide explains how to set up routes, visits and van stock so nothing leaks between the warehouse and the customer.
What "van sales" means in practice
Lebanese distribution runs on two field models, and many companies mix them:
| Model | How it works | Typical goods |
|---|---|---|
| Van sales (cash van) | The rep carries stock, sells on the spot, delivers immediately and collects payment. | Snacks, beverages, cleaning products, cigarettes, bread, dairy |
| Pre-sales (order taking) | The rep visits, takes an order, and a separate truck delivers later. | Larger orders, building materials, pharmacy and cosmetics lines |
Both need the same three things: a route, a record of each visit, and a clean link between what the rep sold and what left the warehouse. Van sales adds a fourth: stock and cash physically sitting in the vehicle, which is where most losses happen.
The real problems on Lebanese routes
- Paper invoice books. The rep writes invoices by hand, the office types them in days later, and errors are found at month end.
- Two currencies in the cash bag. A shop pays part in USD and part in LBP. If the rate used on the road is not recorded, the evening cash count never matches.
- Customers who "always pay next week". Without each customer's balance visible on the road, the rep keeps extending credit nobody approved.
- Visits that did not happen. A route has 25 shops, the rep visits 15, and the sales manager only finds out when a customer calls to complain.
- Weak signal. Parts of the Bekaa, the South and mountain roads have patchy coverage. A system that only works online stops the rep at the worst moment.
Step 1: Plan routes around customers, not around the driver
A good route is a fixed list of customers visited on a fixed day, in a sensible order. Build it like this:
- Put every customer on a map with their real location.
- Group them by area and by visit frequency. A busy supermarket might need two visits a week, a small dekkaneh one every two weeks.
- Assign each group to a day and a rep.
- Order the stops to avoid crossing the same road twice.
- Review the routes every quarter. New customers appear, others close.
Take a hypothetical snack distributor in Zahle with four vans. Instead of letting each driver choose where to go, the company fixes Monday for Zahle city, Tuesday for the West Bekaa, and so on. Each customer now knows when the van comes, and the manager can see if a stop was skipped.
Step 2: Log every visit, including the ones with no sale
A visit without a sale is still information. Record:
- Arrival time and location.
- The result: sale, order taken, payment collected, or no sale.
- The reason for no sale: shop closed, enough stock, price objection, competitor product.
- Any notes for the office, such as a shelf that needs a display.
After a month, these records tell you which customers are slipping, which reps skip stops, and which products lose to competitors in which area. That is worth more than any sales target spreadsheet.
Step 3: Treat the van as a warehouse
The single most useful rule in van sales: every van is a stock location. Stock does not "go out with the driver". It is transferred from the main warehouse to the van, and the van has its own quantity, just like a branch.
The daily van cycle
- Load. The storekeeper transfers the day's stock to the van. The rep checks and accepts the quantities.
- Sell. Each sale reduces the van's stock, not the warehouse's.
- Return. Customer returns go back into the van, marked as good or damaged.
- Unload. In the evening, unsold stock goes back to the warehouse by transfer.
- Reconcile. Loaded minus sold minus unloaded should equal zero. Any difference is investigated the same day, not at month end.
Count by pack where you can. If you load 20 cartons of 24 cans, the transfer should say 20 cartons, not 480 cans typed by hand.
Step 4: Close cash in both currencies
At the end of the day, the rep hands over cash. The office needs to know exactly what to expect in each currency. The rules:
- Every invoice and every collection is recorded in the currency the customer actually paid.
- If a customer pays in LBP for a USD invoice, the rate used is recorded on the payment. Lebanon's official rate has been 89,500 LBP per USD since 2024, but many businesses use their own daily rate, so record whatever you used.
- The expected cash is shown per currency, not converted into one total.
- Cheques and transfers are listed separately from cash.
When the cash count is done per currency, a shortfall is visible immediately and attributed to the right day and rep.
Step 5: Control credit on the road
Give each customer a credit limit and let the rep see the open balance before selling. A simple policy works well:
- Within the limit: sell normally.
- Over the limit: sell only against a payment, or call the office.
- Overdue for more than an agreed period: collect first, then sell.
Customer price lists matter too. A supermarket and a small shop rarely pay the same price. The rep should never type prices by hand.
Step 6: Measure reps on more than sales
Sales per rep is the obvious number, but it hides a lot. A rep can hit target by loading one big customer while ignoring twenty small ones. Look at a few numbers together each week:
| Measure | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Planned visits vs completed visits | Whether the route is being followed |
| Visits with a sale | How well the rep converts a stop into an invoice |
| Collections vs credit sales | Whether the rep is building debt or collecting it |
| Returns as a share of sales | Overloading customers, or expiry problems |
| Van stock differences | Losses between loading and unloading |
Share these numbers with the reps themselves. Most good reps want to see them, and the weak spots become a conversation instead of an accusation.
How MAPOS handles van sales and field reps
MAPOS is a Lebanese ERP and POS. Its Cash Van module and CRM field-sales tools cover the cycle above:
- Visit tracking to log each visit and its result.
- Visit routes to plan which customers each rep visits.
- Van sessions to follow each rep's sales run.
- Customer and supplier map to see where your customers are.
- Price lists and customer groups, so each customer gets the right price automatically.
- Multi-currency USD/LBP on every invoice and payment, with balances and totals kept per currency.
- Receipts and payment links shared on WhatsApp, so the customer gets a copy without paper.
- Multi-branch stock and pack-level transfers in the inventory module, with approvals on transfers and adjustments.
- The MAPOS mobile app with an offline-first Quick POS and an owner dashboard ("Pulse") to follow sales during the day.
Everything posts into the same accounting, so the evening reconciliation does not need anyone to re-type invoices. For a wider view of distribution, including multi-warehouse and B2B, read our wholesale and distribution ERP guide. If you deliver goods on order rather than selling from the van, see MAPOS for logistics.
What to look for in any van sales software
- Each van is its own stock location, with transfers in and out.
- Invoices, returns and collections recorded on the road, not typed later.
- USD and LBP handled per document, with the rate recorded.
- Customer balance and credit limit visible before the sale.
- Routes and visit logs the manager can review.
- A way to keep selling when the signal drops.
- Everything flowing into accounting without double entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is van sales software?
It is software that lets field reps sell directly from a vehicle: it tracks the stock in each van, the invoices and payments on the route, and the visits made. At the end of the day, stock and cash are reconciled against what was loaded.
What is the difference between van sales and pre-sales?
In van sales the rep sells and delivers on the spot from stock in the van. In pre-sales the rep only takes the order, and delivery happens later from the warehouse.
How do I stop stock losses from delivery vans?
Treat each van as a stock location, load and unload by transfer, and reconcile loaded minus sold minus returned every evening. Investigate any gap the same day.
Can MAPOS handle USD and LBP for field sales?
Yes. MAPOS records any invoice or payment in USD or LBP and keeps balances and totals per currency, so cash is reconciled in each currency separately.
How much does MAPOS van sales software cost?
MAPOS is quoted per business based on modules, branches and users. Book a demo on WhatsApp at +961 71 725 270 for a quote.
Running vans or field reps? Book a MAPOS demo or message us on WhatsApp and we will walk through your route.
