Three Types of People You Need to Impress If You Want to Succeed

The Decision Makers, Information Providers, and Encouragers

It’s easy to misconstrue networking as building a relationship with every Tom, Dick, or Harry. After all, career success is about who you know — your network.

A rich network, however, is more about the quality and relevance of your connections than their quantity. For instance, if you’re a mid-level cybersecurity expert seeking a new job, but writers and cybersecurity novices dominate your network, you’ll have a hard time securing your dream job. You’re networking with the wrong people and would only burn out in the process.

It’s not enough to impress and build relationships with people. The big question is:

Are you impressing the right people?

The right people are the people who matter. When you build a worthwhile relationship with them, you’ll secure better growth opportunities, earn a fatter paycheck, and get succor when needed. The right people fall into three categories:

1. Decision Makers: These people can provide you with direct prospects, jobs, promotions, and referrals. They include recruiters, C-suite executives, clients, customers, and industry thought leaders. Consider decision-makers as the gatekeepers of your success. When they like you, it’s easier to get a job because you’ll come to the top of their mind when they’re hiring. When they cherish your professional experience and skillset, you’ll become a must-add to their important projects. When they trust you, they will go the extra mile in recommending you to other decision-makers.
2. Information Providers: This category of people share life-changing resources about companies, industries, trends, and contacts. Think of the information provider as a conduit pipe. They connect with you with the necessary information (and sometimes, people) needed to unlock your career success. From close friends to LinkedIn connections, there is no limit to who an information provider can be.
3. Encouragers: Do you know someone who constantly maintains optimism and motivates you even when the world collapses? That person is an encourager. Encouragers are people who support you emotionally. Think of your encouragers as the Merlin to your Arthur.

While they are all critical to your growth, the different categories of right people require different levels of effort. Ergo, you need to commit to a hierarchy of prioritization.

On top of the hierarchy of prioritization is the decision-maker. You should invest 50% of your networking efforts into impressing decision-makers. They hold a weightier influence over your career than the information providers and encouragers. Impressing decision-makers isn’t a walkover task, though. They’re often busy. And so, you’ll need more than “excellent cold emailing” to attract and sustain their attention.

Next in the hierarchy of prioritization is the information provider. It’s easier to build a relationship with the information provider. Much more, information providers are everywhere. They’re in your social media network (particularly on Twitter and LinkedIn), workplace, and professional groups. Just know the right place to look. You should spend 30% of your networking efforts impressing and connecting with the information provider.

The encourager is the last on the hierarchy of prioritization. This person is the one you’d most likely have the most intimate relationship with… or not. The encourager spectrum oscillates between good friends and strangers on the internet who simply want the best for you. Whatever the case, you should invest 20% of your networking efforts in delighting encouragers.

Before you start to impress the right people, here are a few things you need to do:

1. For each category (decision-maker/information provider/encourager), document the top twenty people you want to impress.
2. Write down at least five reasons why you want to impress the highlighted people.
3. Where do these people spend their time online? What are their hobbies and interests? What events do they attend? The answers to these will inform the type of content and events to engage in the upcoming months.
4. Once you establish contact with any right person, include their names in a Google sheet where you track your efforts to build a relationship with them.

How do you impress the right people?

The decision-maker:

• Build in public: Decision makers have enough on their table. So if you try to initiate an intimate connection with no prior familiarity, your message would end up unacknowledged. Yes, that includes your request asking them to be your mentor. For better results, write impressive articles that challenge the status quo in your industry. Document and share interesting highlights from your journey. Solve an industry challenge, then amplify the solution till it attracts the attention of decision-makers.
• Stay on top of their mind: Connect with decision-makers on their favorite social networks, then Interact with their posts. Drop thoughtful comments in their comment sections, compliment their work, and constantly seek their opinions on industry matters.
• Solve their problems: Decision-makers are humans like you and me. They’ve problems. Their company’s social media strategy might suck. Their website might rank low on Google Search results. They might need an ebook to summarize their amazing threads. Evaluate your targeted decision-makers to discover their pressing challenges. Solve these challenges without their permission, then share the solution with them. Rest assure you’ll knock the socks off them. Read more on this here.
• Be intentional: Once decision-makers let you in, try not to reach out only when you need their help. Decision-makers have enough leeches around them. Instead, write gratitude notes and occasionally send them gifts (trust me, influential people rarely get thoughtful gifts). Make them feel appreciated.
• Seek to learn: Nothing impresses decision makers than when you show genuine interest in their work. Study their interests and online activities, then ask them questions about their favorite topics. Seek to learn more about what keeps them upbeat. This would make them see you as a genuine human and like you more.

Information providers:

• Demonstrate reciprocity: While information providers are resourceful and would sometimes go the extra mile to help you, they’re humans like you, with ambitions and goals. So they don’t mind getting resources and help in return. Even if it’s as simple as recommending a course for updating their skillset, you will leave an indelible impression on the average information provider. Balance the value exchange by frequently tipping the scale in your information provider’s favor.
• Be resourceful: Be known as a person of value — one who is always helping and sharing relevant opportunities. Be known as a connector — one who is frequently connecting people to valuable contacts. This strategy is a low-cost way to make an impact.
• Specify your interests and challenges: Save both your time and an information provider’s by clarifying your career goals, interests, and where you need help.

Encouragers:

• Be authentic and vulnerable: Notwithstanding their supportive and empathetic nature, encouragers can’t see beyond what you show them. If you pretend to be a thriving professional without any issues, that’s how they’ll view you. But if you learn to show your inadequacies, encouragers will know how to support and cheer you up. In your dealings with encouragers, let vulnerability take the spotlight.
• Be equally there for them: Although encouragers might seem more resilient, they are humans with their bad days. They might not expose these bad moments to you, but let them know you’re there for them. Constantly check in to know how they are faring — no strings attached.

This article is an excerpt from Wednesday Goodness, a biweekly career newsletter sharing reflections and tips to help you win at work and life. Subscribe here.