(Editor’s note: The information from this article by Top Echelon Recruiting Software has been taken from an Expert Recruiter Coaching Series webinar by Greg Doersching of Next Level Training titled, “Building an Offshore Team: The Fastest Way to Growth and Profit.” Click HERE to watch the video of that training webinar for free.)

In today’s recruiting climate, the playbook is changing fast. And according to Greg Doersching—recruiting trainer, coach, and industry thought leader—it’s time to think radically differently about how we grow our recruiting businesses. In a recent webinar, Doersching offered a bold yet highly practical strategy to future-proof your firm: build an offshore team.

Why? Because the traditional solo recruiter model is breaking down under the weight of modern demands—and the numbers prove it.

The Recruiting Time Crunch: A Looming Crisis

“There’s a limit to how much you can do—even if you’re a blatant overachiever working 60 hours a week,” Doersching says.

The biggest obstacle facing recruiters today isn’t clients or fees—it’s time. Everything now requires more effort: fewer voicemails get returned, candidates are harder to find, and client expectations haven’t adjusted to the candidate-short market. In other words, it takes longer to fill jobs—and that time isn’t magically available.

The root cause? Demographics.

Doersching walked attendees through U.S. birth rate data, showing how population decline directly correlates with candidate shortages. In 1958, there were 24 births per 1,000 people over the age of 18. By 1978, that number had dropped to 14.7—a 38% decline. Those born in the late 1950s and early ’60s are now retiring en masse, and there simply aren’t enough younger workers to replace them.

That means fewer candidates, more work, and tighter results.

Recruiting Desks Aren’t Two-Sided Anymore

“People think of recruiting desks as having two sides: client and candidate. But that’s no longer accurate,” Doersching says. “Your desk now has six sides.”

Here’s how he breaks it down:

1. New Business Development – Finding new clients in a highly competitive landscape.

2. Client Management – Navigating interviews, expectations, and negotiations.

3. Candidate Process – Interviewing, prepping, motivating, and submitting talent.

4. Sourcing/Recruiting – Actually finding the right candidates.

5. Research – Building target lists, mapping markets, managing data.

6. Administration – Job postings, email marketing, CRM management.

In short, the solo recruiter juggling all these hats is outnumbered. “Trying to do it all yourself is like trying to play a six-person sport by yourself,” Doersching warns.

Hiring Help: The U.S. Reality Check

So why not just hire more people?

Here’s why: U.S.-based help is expensive, inexperienced, and increasingly unreliable.

“Today’s entry-level workforce doesn’t think the way we used to,” Doersching says. “Offer a college grad a commission-only role and you’ll get a blank stare.” With average starting salaries for business grads at $57,000 and turnover in recruiting at 85% within 18 months, most firms hesitate to invest in training new hires who may not stick.

And while recruiters love to talk about their billings, Doersching says that’s the wrong metric. “The number that matters isn’t billing—it’s profit.”

Enter offshore teams.

Why Offshore? The Business Case

“Offshore teams solve the time problem. They give you the hours back that you need—at a fraction of the cost,” Doersching says.

And it’s not just cost—it’s structure. Offshore roles let you specialize. Instead of hiring one person to do six things poorly, you can build a team of specialists to handle sourcing, research, admin, and even recruiting.

Here’s what you can get from an offshore team:

• More hours in your week

• Specialized support roles

• Higher profit margins

• Access to hardworking, motivated professionals

• Life-changing income for offshore employees (which drives loyalty)

“You’re giving someone in the Philippines or South Africa an opportunity to make more money than they ever dreamed of—and they will hustle for you because they know it,” Doersching explains.

Fixing the Offshore Mindset

Many recruiters are skeptical about offshore staffing—and for good reason.

“The first time most people tried it, they got burned,” Doersching admits. “The research wasn’t good, the training wasn’t there, or worse—they were sharing a ‘dedicated’ worker with three other companies.”

That’s why the model has to change.

“You need a managed service provider. Not a freelancer. A company that supplies the training, oversight, tools, and infrastructure,” he says.

Services like High Connects (Philippines), Staff Domain (Philippines and South Africa), Om Talent (South Africa), and Solvo (Latin America) offer full-time staff for about $2,100/month—a number that includes equipment, supervision, and even access to recruiting tools like LinkedIn or ZoomInfo.

What Offshore Roles Should You Start With?

“You don’t need someone to replace you—you need someone to support you,” Doersching says.

That means your first two hires should be:

1. A Researcher – Their job is to build quality call lists.

2. A Recruiter – Their job is to call those lists.

“Trying to make one person do both never works,” he cautions. “They’ll be mediocre at both instead of great at one.”

Offshoring makes it affordable to separate these functions and scale effectively. And once you divide the desk, you can structure it like a project.

Move to a Project-Based Recruiting Model

Doersching suggests ditching the old-school, results-only promise model (“We’ll find you 3-4 great candidates”) and replacing it with a measurable effort-based model.

Here’s what you say to clients:

“We’ll build a list of 100–125 targeted people. We’ll call each of them twice and email them twice. In 15 days, we’ll deliver a shortlist of those who say yes—and a full market report on the rest.”

That’s not a vague promise. That’s a project. And it’s something you can manage and measure across time zones and languages.

The Five Personalities of a High-Performance Recruiting Team

Doersching defines five key personalities you need to fill the recruiting “seats”:

1. The Persuader – Often the owner; excels at closing deals and winning business.

2. The Lead Generator – Makes volume calls to tee up conversations.

3. The Storyteller – Delivers opportunity narratives to candidates.

4. The Inquisitor – Qualifies talent by asking the hard questions.

5. The Data Miner – Builds targeted lists and manages information.

“You can’t do it all. And you don’t have to,” he says. “That’s the power of offshoring.”

The Financial Breakdown: U.S. vs Offshore

Doersching walks through the math:

• U.S. recruiter: $40k base + 10-50% commission = $60–75k/year

• U.S. researcher: $40k–$55k/year

• Offshore recruiter: $24k base + small commission = $28–36k/year

• Offshore researcher: $25–30k/year

If you bring in $200k in extra production, your cost difference is staggering:

• U.S.-based: ~$130k total cost → $70k profit

• Offshore: ~$66k total cost → $134k profit

“You’re literally doubling your margin,” Doersching says. “And you’re giving someone a salary that supports a family of four in their country.”

Training Timeline and Real ROI

Hiring offshore doesn’t mean they’re instantly productive. Doersching advises:

• First 30 days: Just learn tools, niche, and workflow. Expect $0 impact.

• Days 31–90: Begin executing. Expect $20–50k impact.

• Days 91–180: Becoming productive. Expect $40–100k impact.

• 6–12 months: Full capability. Expect $75–200k impact.

“By the time they’ve been with you six months, they’re contributing. At one year, they’re crucial,” Doersching says.

And if you use Next Level Exchange’s “Offshore Academy,” the training path is built for you—complete with freshman, sophomore, and specialized recruiting “majors.”

A Path to $750,000 in Production

Doersching paints a picture of what’s possible with the offshore model:

• 1 researcher + 2 offshore recruiters = 8 projects/month

• 2 engaged searches (70% fill rate) = 4 placements/quarter

• 6 contingency searches (25% fill rate) = 5 more placements

• 9 placements/quarter × $21k average fee = $189k/quarter

• That’s $756,000/year

With minimal overhead and high profit margins, the result is transformative:

“You’re living on $200k a year and banking another $200k,” Doersching says. “With virtually no office space, no equipment, no admin payroll.”

Overcoming Bias and Building Trust

What about accents? What about data privacy?

“People ask, ‘Aren’t you worried about giving a stranger access to your database?’” Doersching says. “What’s the difference between someone in Kentucky or Colombia? Your database is no use to them outside of helping you.”

And as for accents, he notes that service providers allow you to choose your hire. “You interview them. You hear their English. You make the call.”

Countries like the Philippines and Colombia produce fluent English speakers—and often with better grammar than Americans.

Stop Trying to Do It Alone

Greg Doersching doesn’t mince words:

“You can’t stay a solopreneur and create the kind of wealth you want—or the savings for retirement you need. Building an offshore team is the fastest, smartest way to get ahead.”

The landscape is changing, fast. Candidate shortages, shrinking response rates, and rising fee pressure are forcing recruiters to innovate. The old model doesn’t work anymore.

So stop trying to do it alone. Start building a scalable, profitable, and life-changing team—offshore.

As Doersching puts it: “Don’t hire another you. Hire the people who support you—and build the desk you always dreamed of.”