Lucid Leads Lucid Leads

Ready to get more leads?

Book Your Free Strategy Call
All alternatives

Done-For-You Agency vs In-House Hire

When you need more leads, the obvious move is to hire a marketer. But a salary plus on-costs is a big, fixed commitment, and it takes months before a new hire produces. A done-for-you agency is the alternative: senior skills and results without carrying a role.

Last updated: July 2026

The verdict

Hiring an in-house marketer makes sense when you have enough ongoing work to keep them busy and the budget for salary plus KiwiSaver, ACC, tools and ramp-up time. If you mainly need a reliable flow of qualified leads, a done-for-you agency is the lower-risk alternative: a whole team of skills across ads, funnels and follow-up for a predictable monthly fee, with results far sooner than a new hire and no recruitment risk. Lucid backs it with a 30 qualified leads in 30 days money-back guarantee, which an employee cannot match.

Done-For-You Agency vs In-House Hire, side by side

Done-For-You Agency In-House Hire
Commitment Monthly fee, no lock-in Permanent salary and on-costs
Time to results Live in about 7 days Months to recruit and ramp up
Skills A whole team across ads, funnels, follow-up A single skill set
Risk Guarantee-backed, cancel anytime Hiring, training and turnover risk
Management We run it, you stay focused You manage the role day to day
True cost A predictable fee plus ad spend Salary plus KiwiSaver, ACC, tools, leave

Choose done-for-you when

  • You want qualified leads without carrying a salary.
  • You want results in weeks, not months.
  • You would rather not manage and train a new hire.
  • You value a guarantee on the outcome.

Hire in-house when

  • You have enough ongoing marketing work for a full-time role.
  • You want someone embedded in your team day to day.
  • You have the budget for salary and all the on-costs.
  • You are ready to manage and develop the role.

Common questions

Can an agency really replace an in-house hire?

For lead generation, yes. A done-for-you agency covers the ads, funnels, landing pages and follow-up a single hire would, with a team behind it and results far sooner. If your needs go well beyond lead generation, a hire may still make sense.

How fast can you start compared with hiring?

We can usually have campaigns live in about a week. Recruiting a marketer and getting them up to speed typically takes months, so the agency route puts leads in your pipeline much sooner.

Keep exploring

Agency Fees vs In-House Cost

The real numbers behind both options.

Lead Gen Agency vs In-House

The full build-vs-buy decision.

How It Works

Our end-to-end lead generation process.

Want a straight recommendation?

Book a free strategy call and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit, backed by our 30 qualified leads in 30 days money-back guarantee.

Book a Free Strategy Call See more alternatives