Both put a caller on your list. The difference is who carries everything around the caller — the training, the dialer, the management, and the re-hire when they quit. Here's the honest breakdown.
| Leadquarters (managed) | Hiring a VA yourself | |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $6/hr, everything included | Often $3–5/hr — but caller only |
| Who manages them | We do — daily QA off recordings | You do — it's your second job |
| Training | Trained on real scripts before your list | You write the script and train them |
| Dialer | Included and run for you | You buy, set up, and manage it (~$150/mo) |
| Transparency | Live dashboard — every dial & lead, with recordings | Whatever the VA tells you |
| When they quit | Replaced from the bench, free, no dead time | Re-post, interview, retrain — weeks lost |
| Ramp time | Days — approve your caller and go | Weeks to find, vet, and train someone |
| Consistency | Managed so it doesn't fade in month two | Depends entirely on the person |
| Commitment | Month-to-month, cancel any cycle | You're the employer/contractor manager |
Hire a VA directly if you genuinely have the time to write the script, run the dialer, listen to calls, and re-hire when they leave — and you want the lowest possible hourly rate and full hands-on control. For some operators, that's the right call.
Go managed if your time is worth more spent on deals than on supervising a caller — and you want the work to be consistent and provable instead of a person you're constantly babysitting.
Fifteen minutes on the dashboard — watch a managed caller work a list before you decide.