🤖 AI Services Pricing Calculator
Nobody is teaching this yet, which is exactly why it prices so well. This calculator, straight from Dee's How To Charge workbook, prices AI as its own service line three ways: per role serviced, as a monthly managed-service retainer, and per AI action. Then it builds the compensation plan for the AI implementation specialist and the sales role (W2 and 1099, side by side) and checks the company still profits. Run your numbers once free; the $27 one-time unlock keeps every section live forever and includes the Excel workbook.
2A · Model A: per-role / per-search pricing
Use this when selling AI as its own service line, separate from your staffing placements.
What YOU pay for the AI tool per month.
Time your team spends managing AI output per role.
Pay + burden for the person managing the AI.
2B · Model B: monthly retainer / managed service
Use when the client pays a flat monthly fee for ongoing AI-powered services.
2C · Model C: per-candidate / per-action pricing
Charge per AI action: per resume screened, per candidate matched, per assessment scored.
API cost per call, or subscription / volume.
3A · Role 1: AI implementation specialist
The person who builds, configures, and manages the AI tools you sell. W2 is the standard for this role; the work requires consistent hands-on involvement and system access.
Market range: $55,000 to $80,000 depending on technical depth. If they can configure APIs and build automations, price toward the upper end.
Paid when a new retainer client goes live. Range: $500 to $1,500; the setup work is front-loaded and intensive.
Range: $75 to $200 per client. Keeps the specialist engaged beyond onboarding.
One specialist can typically handle 5 to 10 clients depending on complexity and automation level.
Above this client count, each additional one earns the extra bonus.
Rewards specialists who scale their book of managed accounts.
3B · Role 2: AI services account executive (W2)
Closes new retainer clients and upsells existing staffing clients. Commission anchors to gross profit, never revenue: tool costs and staff time come out first.
Market range: $55,000 to $75,000. The AE must explain ROI in terms clients understand (time-to-fill, fill rate, compliance risk).
Range: 10 to 15% of first-month GP. Using GP, not revenue.
1 to 3 per month is realistic for an AE focused on AI services.
Flat bonus per new retainer contract, separate from commission. Range: $300 to $1,000.
The highest-leverage motion in your business. Protect and reward it generously.
Withheld until the client is active and the first invoice is paid. Protects against sign-and-cancel.
3C · Step 3 inputs: W2 profitability check
Use $3,000 (Entry), $5,000 (Standard), $7,500 (Professional), or your own number from Model B.
Total retainer clients currently generating revenue. Adjust as your book grows.
3D · Role 2B: 1099 AI services AE (commission only)
A commission-only independent contractor: no base salary, higher commission % to cover self-employment tax and no benefits. All inputs here are independent of the W2 section.
Range: 15 to 22%. Higher than W2 (12%) because the rep covers their own taxes and benefits.
Set independently; your 1099 rep may have a different network or focus area.
Document clearly in your independent contractor agreement.
3E · Step 3B inputs: 1099 profitability check
The retainer price carries over from Step 3; only the client count is set here.
Estimates for planning, not financial advice. Salary bands, commission ranges, and retainer tiers are the workbook's guidance; your market decides the real ones.
Does this resonate?
Your competitors are reselling AI tools. You could be operating them.
If selling AI-powered services sounds like your next revenue line, the platform can turn it into a real plan: positioning, the offer stack, and the week-by-week path from first pitch to first retainer.
Build my launch plan free →Good questions about this math
How do I price AI services?
Three models, straight from the workbook. Per role: your tool cost spread across roles plus staff time, marked up to a per-role price ($500 to $2,500 per role is the market range for AI sourcing). Monthly retainer: your total delivery cost versus fixed tiers from $3,000 to $20,000 a month. Per action: a price per resume screened, candidate matched, or assessment scored. The calculator runs all three so you can see which fits your buyer.
What should an AI consulting retainer cost?
The workbook tests six retainer tiers against your real delivery cost (tool subscription, staff hours, API overhead). At a typical $4,200 monthly cost base, a $3,000 entry retainer loses money while $7,500 runs a 44 percent margin, which is why the sheet defaults to $5,000 standard and up. AI consulting pricing is a margin decision, not a guess.
How do I pay the people who deliver and sell AI services?
The calculator builds both roles: an AI implementation specialist (W2, base plus setup, performance, and volume bonuses) and an account executive in W2 and 1099 versions. The key rule: commission anchors to gross profit, never revenue, because a $5,000 retainer can carry a $3,500 cost base.
Should my AI services salesperson be W2 or 1099?
The sheet runs both models side by side on your numbers and shows the annual cost difference. Commission-only 1099 is usually cheaper while you test the market; W2 buys consistent pipeline work at a fixed cost. Let the comparison table decide, not the vibe.
Do I get the Excel version?
Yes. The $27 unlock includes the standalone AI Services Pricing workbook (the exact sheet from Dee's How To Charge master, with every formula live) plus the START HERE guide tab, yours to download and keep.
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