Who pays you?

Business models depend on who pays you and when.

• Retail customers pay now at the counter with cash or credit card - like burgers and fries.

• Business customers pay with credit, net 30, or half down - like cardboard box suppliers.

• Membership customers pay once per year, no matter how much they use - like Costco.

• Subscription customers pay yearly or monthly for a specific amount - like the number of Netflix screens.

• Current me pays now for past me agreements - like mortgages or gym memberships.

• Customers pay now but consumers use later - like children’s birthday cakes.

• Businesses pay for things I use - like memberships, cell phones, and vehicles.

Ways to pay affect customer behavior. Some ways have more consumption. Some ways have less. Some ways are all about the steak and other ways are about the sizzle.

Ways to pay is a dial on the mixing board, a tool in the shed, an ingredient in the recipe. What ways do you use it?