With the world going totally digital in most areas, it is totally changing how we are paying each other and handling our finances.
The old ways like paying with cash or check are just not feasible because of the fact that we would have to all send checks in the mail and there is such a delay with that. With most digital ways to get paid, you can be paid up almost instantly with just the click of a button.
Some ways are more popular than others, but in no particular order are 10 of the best ways to get paid from clients
PayPal
As probably the most common way to get paid for digital-based service businesses, PayPal has been one of the leaders in this industry for a while.
The quick nature of PayPal is what made it explode and it has led a lot of other platforms to integrate with it like eBay because of its ease of use. There are also great features that are included with PayPal such as invoice templates to send to any clients for work that you have done. There are a lot of features to go over with PayPal that might make it your best option for your method of payment.
You can even secure a business loan through PayPal if you meet their requirements! It can almost be a one stop shop for many digital business owners.
Stripe
The next way to get paid is with this San Francisco-based company called Stripe. Stripe is generally pretty similar to a few of the companies on the list and they have a very good track record throughout the years. This is my favorite payment collecting software company.
Stripe is very involved in the e-commerce industry as a lot of drop shippers and other e-commerce stores like Shopify use the Stripe platform to collect payments because of the ease of use on the platform. Their software is set up to really handle any size of a company and is really effective in managing payments.
Cash App
The next platform is Cash App, which is a peer to peer payment service owned by Square Inc, and they are relatively popular and in the same category as Venmo in my opinion.
There are certainly business owners out there that are involved with Cash App and use it to accept payments because the Cash App for business accounts is effective in doing so. It is a no-brainer for business owners because the platform is so easy to use that it just makes sense.
The only downside to the platform is that according to a few sources online their fees may be a bit on the higher side compared to other service providers on this list.
Venmo
The next option on the list is a company called Venmo owned by Paypal, which is very similar to the Cash App option above. While they do charge fees that are relatively similar to the option above, they are less in some cases.
The other great option with Venmo is that it is set up more like a social media platform and people can see that your customer bought from you if the transaction was not made private. It could be a bit of extra marketing from selling your service or products.
Venmo is also a smart option for business owners to use because payments and transfers are practically instant, so not more wait times if you do not want them! Other large companies are certainly hopping on board and accepting Venmo if you check out their website. I am sure you will recognize a majority of the companies that are using Venmo.
ACH Payments
Another form of payment that makes sense for a drop servicing business is an ACH payment. ACH stands for Automated Clearing House, and they are basically direct payments from one bank account to another without a check, wire, or any credit cards of any manner involved.
Out of all of the payment methods on the list, this is probably the easiest to wrap your head around if you are not used to the modern way of paying for things. An ACH payment method is what makes sense for a lot of businesses and especially if they have steady work for a client that could just enter some bank info and always have an easy method of payment. This is one of the best options for selling high ticket services.
Paying by Wire
Another payment method that deals directly with your bank and bank account are a wire payment. To wire transfer your money, you will need the other party’s bank info such as name, routing number, and account number.
The main reason why people choose to do wire transfers is that they are very trustworthy in most cases and very fast. Depending on the amount, a wire transfer is the smartest option because often the limits are higher than other platforms such as the ones listed above.
If it is a very large service that you provide to a client, a wire might be your best bet if you do not accept checks from your services.
Merchant Account
A merchant account is basically an account that can accept both debit and credit cards from customers. There are several ways to set up a real merchant account, but a lot of business owners find it easy to just set a merchant account up with their current bank.
The money collected in the merchant account is then funneled into your main bank account in most circumstances, and there is usually a set date that this process happens on. You will have to do your own due diligence on that because all merchant account programs are different depending on the bank. I recommend checking out Easy Pay Direct, Signature Card, and Pay Kings for high-risk merchant accounts.
Wise
For businesses that are serving clients outside of the United States, the Wise method might be your best option. Some of the payment processing methods above get very complicated when you are dealing with clients that are overseas.
They claim to support more than 750 currency routes so if you have a lot of clients in different countries all over the world, you are probably covered with TransferWise. They are one of the leaders in the industry for companies that service all over the world so it may be smart to look into your options with them!
Square
As probably the biggest competitor to PayPal, Square is an appealing option for service businesses that are digital. The rates are just as enticing as the industry leader and some of their features are just as good if not better in my opinion.
They also feature an inventory and sales tracker, and if that pertains to your business then those features are a no-brainer to hop onto. Other details about Square can be found all over the web and some of them might be of aid to you in your business.
It will be interesting to see who continues to innovate and grow between Square and PayPal.
Dwolla
The last payment method that we will mention is that you can use to accept payments is with Dwolla.
Dwolla is basically an ACH payment provider that has a few features that make sense for certain businesses. The pricing structure of the platform might make sense for you to use it compared to other payment methods because you can save money in the long run.
If you are on the fence about using a paid software but you want it to be ACH, then this should be on your list of processors to check out!
So, there you have it for the top 10 ways to get paid as a service business in today’s climate. You can use these suggestions to get paid as a freelancer, agency owner, coach, or consultant too. If you found this post helpful, then please share it with your friends that want to start a digital service-based business.
Use Stripe, Authorize, NMI, or Paypal with SumoGrowth software to collect payments today. Click HERE to watch the Demo.
By Darius Gaynor