Live Class vs. AI Teacher

Prepared for IQVIA · October 15, 2026

First, set up your AI Teacher plan. Then compare it to what a live, instructor-led class would cost. Every number is a starting estimate. Change any of them to match your company.

Step 1

Your AI Teacher plan

AI Teacher

Your courses, taught one-on-one at each learner's desk.

AI model$0.75 per teaching minute

Number of learners

Courses per learnerHow many different courses each person takes

Slides per courseAbout 2 teaching minutes per slide

Teaching minutes per slideTypical: 1.7 to 2

Course lengthSlides × minutes per slide

70 min

Times through each course1.3 = some people review or restart

Practice minutes per learner, per monthRole-play and Q&A — repeats every month of access

min

Months of accessHow long learners can use the Teacher

Paused minutes per teaching minute0.5 = half as much pause as teaching

Course build fee (one time)Per course

Yearly platform feeFor your whole account. Extra months beyond a full year: yearly fee ÷ 12, plus 20%, per month

Implementation fee (one time)For your whole account

Monthly support and hosting feeFor your whole account

Plan summary

55 learners · 4 courses · 12 months of access

Total price

$110,542

total for 12 months · $9,212 a month

Per learner

$2,010

for 12 months · $167.49 a month

Price includes 25,025 teaching minutes in total, shared by all 55 learners, for the full 12 months (about 2,085 a month on average).

Extra payment starts only if your total teaching minutes for the 12 months go over 25,025. Each extra block of 500 teaching minutes: $375. Paused time does not count.

Questions to shape your plan

Your answers set the numbers on the left.

How many people will take the course? Will more join later?
How many courses, and about how many slides in each?
How long do you need access: one event, a quarter, a year?
Will people go back to review, or practice after finishing?
Do you want role-play or extra practice time with the Teacher?
Which languages will your learners use?
Will you teach these courses to your own customers too? (Each customer account is tracked on its own.)

Extra payment is based on teaching minutes only. Paused time does not count toward your limit.

Step 2

Compare to a live class

Your people's time

Time away from work is a real cost.

Average loaded salaryPay plus benefits, per year

Live instructor-led class

What a classroom version would take. One live class is held for each course.

Learners per classMost classes cap at 12 to 20

Class lengthDays per class

days

Instructor day rateGuide range: $2,400 to $6,400 a day

Instructor prep per classGuide range: $600 to $3,200

Instructor travel per classOne trip for each class

Learners who must travel100% = everyone flies in

Travel cost per learner tripAirfare, hotel and meals

Room, AV and materials per class dayGuide range: $500 to $2,000 for the room alone

Hours away from work per learnerClass time plus travel time

hrs

Your estimated savings

$376,489

That is 75% less than a live class, or $6,845 saved per learner.

Live class

$501,838

$9,124 per learner

AI Teacher

$125,349

$2,279 per learner

Side by side

55 learners · 4 courses · 16 live classes of up to 14 · time valued at $58 an hour

Cost	Live class	AI Teacher
Instructor fees (delivery + prep)	$48,000	$0
Instructor travel	$22,800	$0
Learner travel	$313,500	$0
Room, AV and materials	$16,000	$0
Learners' time away from work	$101,538	$14,808
AI Teacher plan price	$0	$110,542
Total	$501,838	$125,349

Your team also gets back about 1,503 work hours.

These are estimates for planning. Your own rates, travel costs and salaries will give the truest picture. The AI Teacher also lets each learner start on their own schedule, replay any part, and learn in their own language.

Where the starting numbers come from

Instructor-Led Training Cost — TrainingCost.com Instructor delivery of $2,400 to $6,400 a day, prep of $600 to $3,200, room of $500 to $2,000, learner travel up to $1,500, and how to count learner time. https://trainingcost.com/delivery-methods/instructor-led-training-cost
Corporate Training Facilitator Pay and Rates — TrainingCost.com What trainers cost per working day, and how to compare outside quotes. https://trainingcost.com/facilitator-rates
Business Travel Statistics 2026 — Travel Code Average managed North American business trip of $1,425 in 2025 (Emburse Certify data). https://travel-code.com/news/business-travel-statistics-2026-spend-volume-trends-by-industry
Hourly cost of time = loaded salary ÷ 2,080 work hours a year (40 hours × 52 weeks).
2017 Sales Manager Enablement Report — CSO Insights With ongoing, structured coaching, win rates on forecast deals rose from 46% to about 59%, a 28% improvement. https://www.brainshark.com/sites/default/files/2017-cso-insights-sales-manager-enablement-report.pdf
Driving Sales Training Results Through Manager Coaching — Training Industry Aberdeen research: ongoing coaching gave 21% higher quota attainment and 19% higher win rates. https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/mar-apr-2020/driving-sales-training-results-through-manager-coaching-cptm/
How the Forgetting Curve Saps Sales Effectiveness — Allego 50% to 80% of new material can be lost by the next day, and up to 98% within 30 days. Spaced practice improves recall by 30% to 55%. https://www.allego.com/assets/Allego_WhitePaper_ForgettingCurve.pdf
SDR Models, Motions & Metrics: 2025 Research Report — The Bridge Group New sales development reps take about 3 months to ramp up to full productivity. https://www.bridgegroupinc.com/research/2025-sdr-models-metrics-report-the-bridge-group

Step 3

Impact on results

Sales results

Savings are only part of the story. Practice that sticks also lifts sales, and skipping a trainer rollout gets learners selling sooner.

Yearly revenue per learner from what this training coversFor example, sales of the new product taught. Not total sales

Expected sales lift from practiceStudies show 19% to 28% higher win rates with ongoing coaching. Start low

Months sooner learners are trainedNo train-the-trainer rollout or class scheduling

Total value

$1,568,156

About 14.2 times the plan price, counting savings and added revenue.

Extra revenue from the lift

$275,000

5% lift over 12 months

Revenue from starting sooner

$916,667

2 months sooner

How it adds up

Savings from Step 2	$376,489
Extra revenue from the sales lift	$275,000
Revenue from starting sooner	$916,667
Total value	$1,568,156
Plan price from Step 1	$110,542
Return on the plan price	14.2×

Lift = learners × yearly revenue × lift % × (12 ÷ 12). Starting sooner = learners × monthly revenue × months sooner.

These are revenue estimates, not profit. Most sales-training studies come from companies that sell training, so we start with a lower lift. A short pilot can measure the lift with your own people.

Live Practice vs. AI Role-Play

October 18, 2026

First, set up your AI role-play plan. Then compare it to the same practice done with a sales manager or a paid coach. Every number is a starting estimate. Change any of them to match your company.

Step 1

Your AI role-play plan

AI Role-Play

Reps practice sales calls with AI buyer personas, with an AI Answer Coach beside them.

AI model$1.25 per practice minute

Number of sales reps

Number of buyer personasEach persona is built once

Practice sessions per rep, per monthBefore client calls, at the airport, on walks

Minutes per sessionPlan on at least 20

min

AI agents per sessionRole-play and Answer Coach run together. Both are included in the price per practice minute

2 agents

Months of accessHow long reps can use the role-play

Persona build fee (one time)Per persona

Yearly platform feeFor your whole account. Extra months beyond a full year: yearly fee ÷ 12, plus 20%, per month

Implementation fee (one time)For your whole account

Monthly support and hosting feeFor your whole account

Plan summary

62 reps · 4 personas · 12 months of access

Total price

$224,600

total for 12 months · $18,717 a month

Per rep

$3,623

for 12 months · $301.88 a month

Price includes 148,800 practice minutes in total, shared by all 62 reps, for the full 12 months (about 12,400 a month on average).

Extra payment starts only if your total practice minutes for the 12 months go over 148,800. Each extra block of 500 practice minutes: $625.

Questions to shape your plan

Your answers set the numbers on the left.

How many reps will practice? Will more join later?
What kinds of buyers do your reps sell to? Each one becomes a persona.
How often should each rep practice: weekly, twice a month?
How long do you need access: one event, a quarter, a year?
Do you want scored practice with saved reports for managers?
Which languages will your reps use?
Will reps use the Answer Coach on their phones during real sales calls?

Extra payment is based on practice minutes only.

Step 2

Compare to live practice

Your people's time

Time spent practicing is a real cost.

Average rep loaded salaryPay plus benefits, per year

Sales manager loaded salaryPay plus benefits, per year

AI practice done in spare timeAt the airport, on walks, before calls. Not taken from work hours

Live practice

The same practice time, done with people instead of AI.

Practice hours per repSessions × minutes × months, from Step 1 (time in the session itself)

32 hrs

Billed hours per live sessionMinimum 1 hour: prep, the session, and recording the results

hrs

Practice done with a sales managerThe rest is done with a paid virtual coach

Virtual coach rate, per hourCoach day rate of $2,400 ÷ 8 hours

Your estimated savings

$940,046

That is 77% less than live practice, or $15,162 saved per rep.

Live practice

$1,221,877

$19,708 per rep

AI Role-Play

$281,831

$4,546 per rep

Side by side

62 reps · 1,984 practice hours · 5,952 billed live hours · 50% with a manager · time valued at $58 an hour (reps) and $72 (managers)

Cost	Live practice	AI Role-Play
Sales manager time	$214,615	$0
Virtual coach fees	$892,800	$0
Reps' practice time	$114,462	$57,231
AI Role-Play plan price	$0	$224,600
Total	$1,221,877	$281,831

Your sales managers also get back about 2,976 hours.

These are estimates for planning. Your own salaries and coaching rates will give the truest picture. AI role-play is also ready any time, in many languages, with no scheduling.

Where the starting numbers come from

Sales Managers: Occupational Outlook Handbook — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Median pay of $148,270 a year ($71.28 an hour) in May 2025, before benefits. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/sales-managers.htm
One on One Sales Coaching: 2026 Buyer's Guide — Prospeo One-on-one sales coaching runs $200 to $2,500 a session; newer independent coaches charge $200 to $500. https://prospeo.io/s/one-on-one-sales-coaching
Online Sales Coaching: Costs, Tools & What Works in 2026 — Prospeo A single online coaching session costs about $250 to $500. https://prospeo.io/s/online-sales-coaching
Instructor-Led Training Cost — TrainingCost.com Instructor delivery of $2,400 to $6,400 a day. The low end over an 8-hour day is $300 an hour. https://trainingcost.com/delivery-methods/instructor-led-training-cost
Each live session is billed at a minimum of 1 hour: prep, the session, and recording the results. Coaches do not take 20-minute bookings.
Hourly cost of time = loaded salary ÷ 2,080 work hours a year (40 hours × 52 weeks).
2017 Sales Manager Enablement Report — CSO Insights With ongoing, structured coaching, win rates on forecast deals rose from 46% to about 59%, a 28% improvement. https://www.brainshark.com/sites/default/files/2017-cso-insights-sales-manager-enablement-report.pdf
Driving Sales Training Results Through Manager Coaching — Training Industry Aberdeen research: ongoing coaching gave 21% higher quota attainment and 19% higher win rates. https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/mar-apr-2020/driving-sales-training-results-through-manager-coaching-cptm/
How the Forgetting Curve Saps Sales Effectiveness — Allego 50% to 80% of new material can be lost by the next day, and up to 98% within 30 days. Spaced practice improves recall by 30% to 55%. https://www.allego.com/assets/Allego_WhitePaper_ForgettingCurve.pdf
SDR Models, Motions & Metrics: 2025 Research Report — The Bridge Group New sales development reps take about 3 months to ramp up to full productivity. https://www.bridgegroupinc.com/research/2025-sdr-models-metrics-report-the-bridge-group

Step 3

Impact on results

Sales results

Savings are only part of the story. Practice that sticks also lifts sales, and skipping a trainer rollout gets reps selling sooner.

Yearly revenue per rep from what this training coversFor example, sales of the new product taught. Not total sales

Expected sales lift from practiceStudies show 19% to 28% higher win rates with ongoing coaching. Start low

Months sooner reps are trainedNo train-the-trainer rollout or class scheduling