🎓 Training Pricing Calculator
Training is the revenue stream you build once and sell many times, and this calculator from Dee's How To Charge workbook prices every version of it. Section C sells training to facilities: per-person sessions with cost per learner, flat-fee group sessions, delivery format comparisons, and recurring annual contracts. Section D sells training to your candidate pipeline: single courses, certification programs, and academy subscriptions with churn-based lifetime value. Section E builds the comp plan for a coordinator, a trainer, and a W2 or 1099 sales rep, then 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.
C1 · Per-person training model
Section C sells training TO facilities: CNA certification, compliance training, DON leadership, onboarding programs. Build the curriculum once, sell it many times.
Market rate: $200-$300/person for virtual compliance. $300-$600/person for live clinical, certification prep, or leadership programs.
Internal staff: $300-$500. Freelance trainer: $700-$1,200. Senior clinical SME: $1,200-$2,500.
Room rental, Zoom license, printed materials.
C2 · Group / lunch and learn (flat fee)
One flat fee covers the whole group regardless of headcount. The facility pays once; you deliver to everyone in the room.
Market validated: $2,500-$7,500 for standard group sessions. Advanced clinical or DON leadership: $8,000-$18,000/day.
C3 · Delivery format cost comparison
Per-session cost of the same program delivered virtual, in person, or hybrid. Revenue auto-matches the C2 flat fee.
C4 · Recurring annual training contracts
Mid-market validated: $16,000-$20,000/year for 100-200 staff. Larger health systems: $30,000-$75,000+.
C5 · Content development amortization
You build the curriculum once. Every delivery drops the per-session cost.
DIY / AI-assisted: $2,500-$5,000. Basic professional: $5,000-$8,000 per finished hour. Full production: $10,000-$30,000+.
D1 · Single courses (candidate-facing)
Section D sells training TO candidates: attract your pipeline, raise their placement value, and create standalone revenue.
Mini-course: $99-$147. Standard substantive course: $197-$497. Flagship program with coaching: $1,000-$3,000.
Video production, writing, design.
If self-hosted, enter your cost. If platform-hosted, use the D4 comparison below.
D2 · Certification programs
Reference input for scoping the build; the revenue math keys off price and enrollments.
Testing, grading, certificate production.
D3 · Online academy enrollment
Subscription or cohort-based access to your full course library. The premium tier.
The annual option gives a discount vs 12x monthly.
What % of monthly subscribers cancel each month (5% to 15% typical).
D4 · Platform comparison (hosted vs self-hosted)
2026 validated: Thinkific Basic $69/mo (0% fees). Teachable Basic $39/mo + 5% transaction fee. Kajabi Basic $149/mo.
Just the payment processor (Stripe) when self-hosted.
Hosting is included in the platform plan fee.
Minimum $25/month (basic VPS). There is no free self-hosting in production.
Self-hosted requires tech maintenance.
Most platform plans do NOT include email marketing; budget $30-$99/month extra if you need it.
D5 · Hidden ROI: trained candidates bill higher
A CNA you certified bills at a premium because YOU trained them to YOUR standards.
E · Role 1: Training Coordinator (W2)
The operational backbone: scheduling, LMS admin, compliance tracking, enrollment logistics. They do not deliver training; they make delivery possible at scale.
National range: $46,698-$60,487. Experienced with LMS admin skills: $55,000-$70,000.
Flat bonus when a managed facility hits 100% training completion. Range: $150-$400.
E · Role 2: Corporate Trainer / Facilitator
Delivers live sessions. Structure as W2 (salary plus per-session bonus) or 1099 freelance (set base to $0; the per-session line is their full rate).
Market range: $65,875-$87,325 for W2. Senior clinical trainer: $80,000-$100,000.
W2 bonus: $150-$500 per session. 1099 full rate: $500-$1,200 typical.
Range: $300-$1,000. Rewards building the content library that drives recurring revenue.
E · Role 3: Training Sales Rep (W2)
Closes facility contracts (large relationship sales) and grows the academy subscription base (volume play). Commission rates are calibrated to each motion.
Market range: $55,000-$70,000 for SMB-focused training sales.
Range: 8-12% on new facility contracts. 9% is validated mid-market.
Range: 3-6% on renewals. The renewal base pulls live from Section C4.
Range: 5-8% of MRR from new subscribers; compounds as the base grows.
Flat bonus when an existing facility buys an extra session outside their contract. Range: $100-$350.
E · Role 3B: 1099 Training Sales Rep (commission-only)
No base salary; all inputs are independent from the W2 section. Rates run higher to compensate for self-employment tax and no benefits.
Range: 10-18%. Even 13% on an $18K contract is $2,340 per close.
Range: 5-8% on renewals.
The annual contract revenue this rep manages; set independently.
Range: 6-10% of MRR.
Estimates for planning, not financial advice. Fees, contract values, and commission ranges are the workbook's guidance; your market and your contracts decide the real ones.
Does this resonate?
Build the curriculum once. Build the business around it.
If selling training to facilities and candidates sounds like your kind of business, the platform can turn it into a real plan: positioning, launch checklist, and the week-by-week path from first session to full training operation.
Build my launch plan free →Good questions about this math
How do I price a training program?
Two anchors from the workbook. Per person: $200 to $300 for virtual compliance training, $300 to $600 for live clinical, certification prep, or leadership programs. Flat fee: $2,500 to $7,500 for standard group sessions and $8,000 to $18,000 a day for advanced clinical or DON leadership programs. The calculator turns either model into session profit, margin, and annual revenue.
What is a good cost per learner for corporate training?
Divide your session cost (instructor, venue, and per-attendee materials) by headcount. At the defaults, a 25-person session costs $1,075 to deliver, about $43 per learner against a $250 per-person fee. That gap is why training margins run high; the calculator recomputes it live as you change attendance and costs.
How much should an annual training contract be worth?
The validated mid-market range is $16,000 to $20,000 per year for facilities with 100 to 200 staff; larger health systems run $30,000 to $75,000 and up. Annual contracts are the training equivalent of retainers: three $18,000 contracts is $54,000 of predictable revenue before you sell a single course.
Should I host my academy on a platform or self-host?
The calculator compares both against your combined course, certification, and subscription revenue. Platform-hosted (about $69/month with no transaction fee, or lower fees with a 5% cut) is easier to launch; self-hosted (roughly $325/month of fixed costs plus 2.9% processing) gives more control. At the defaults, the totals land within a few hundred dollars a year of each other, so launch speed usually wins early.
What should I pay a trainer or training sales rep?
The workbook's benchmarks: Training Coordinator around $46,700 to $60,500 base, Corporate Trainer around $65,900 to $87,300 (or $500 to $1,200 per session freelance), and Training Sales Rep around $55,000 to $70,000 base with roughly 9% commission on new facility contracts (or 10% to 18% commission-only as a 1099). The model prices all of them and checks profit both ways.
Do I get the Excel version?
Yes. The $27 unlock includes the standalone Training 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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