How to Find LinkedIn Decision Makers: Company-First vs Person-First Research

Finding decision makers on LinkedIn isn't difficult. Search "VP Marketing," get 10,000 results, start sending connection requests.

The problem: Most of those VPs work at companies you shouldn't be contacting anyway—wrong size, wrong industry, inactive, or not hiring.

The result: 5-10% response rates, wasted personalization effort, unpredictable pipeline.

Better approach: Qualify companies FIRST, then identify decision makers at those qualified companies only.

The result: 30-50% response rates, efficient personalization, predictable pipeline.

This guide shows you the company-first framework for finding decision makers at businesses actually worth contacting.

Why Person-First LinkedIn Research Fails

Standard LinkedIn prospecting works like this:

Step 1: Search for job titles ("Director of Marketing")

Step 2: Send connection requests to everyone with that title

Step 3: Wait for responses

Step 4: Discover most contacts work at wrong companies

Problems with this approach:

No company qualification: You're contacting VPs at 2-person startups, 10,000-person enterprises, and dormant companies—all mixed together.

Context-free outreach: You don't know what the company does, whether they're growing, or if your offer is relevant.

Wasted personalization: You spend time customizing messages for people at unqualified companies.

High rejection rate: Decision makers at wrong companies reject you (correctly) because the fit is poor.

Low response rate: 5-10% typical, because 90% of contacts are at companies that aren't good fits.

The Company-First Framework

Better workflow:

Step 1: Research and qualify 20 companies using company pages

Step 2: Score companies based on size, activity, hiring, industry fit

Step 3: Select top 8 qualified companies

Step 4: Identify decision makers at those 8 companies only

Step 5: Research individual's role and recent activity

Step 6: Send targeted outreach with company context

Why this works better:

Company pre-qualified: You already know they're the right size, industry, and stage.

Context available: You understand company priorities, challenges, and recent developments.

Efficient personalization: Only customizing for qualified company contacts, not random VPs.

Higher relevance: Your message references company context, not just individual's role.

Better response rate: 30-50% typical, because you're targeting right people at right companies.

What Company-First Qualification Looks Like

Before finding ANY individuals, qualify companies using these signals:

Company Size Fit

Check employee count on LinkedIn:

For most B2B tools/services:

• Sweet spot: 10-100 employees
• Too small: Under 5 (budget constraints)
• Too large: 500+ (enterprise procurement, gatekeepers)

Match company size to your offer:

• $5K-$20K services → 10-50 employees
• $20K-$100K services → 50-200 employees
• $100K+ services → 200+ employees

Hiring Activity

Check Jobs tab on company page:

Strong signal:

• 5+ open positions
• Multiple departments hiring
• Roles posted within past 30 days
• Growth-stage positions (not replacements)

Weak signal:

• No open positions
• Only replacement roles
• Jobs posted 6+ months ago
• Single department hiring only

Why this matters: Hiring companies have budget and are in growth mode. Non-hiring companies may be cost-cutting.

Recent Company Activity

Check company feed:

Active company:

• Posts within past 7 days
• Regular content schedule
• Employee engagement on posts
• Company updates about growth/launches

Inactive company:

• No posts in 90+ days
• Sporadic posting
• No employee engagement
• Stale content only

Active companies monitor LinkedIn → see your outreach faster.

Complete vs Minimal Profile

Complete profile signals investment:

• Detailed "About" section
• Specialties listed
• Locations filled out
• Cover image and logo professional
• Website link works

Minimal profile suggests:

• Not investing in online presence
• May not monitor LinkedIn regularly
• Lower response probability

Employee Profile Quality

Click "People" tab and check:

Good sign:

• Employees have complete profiles with photos
• Multiple employees list same company
• Recent hires visible
• Org chart appears legitimate

Red flag:

• Employees have bare-minimum profiles
• Inconsistent company names
• No recent hires
• Suspicious or fake-looking profiles

Only THEN: Finding Decision Makers at Qualified Companies

Once you've qualified 8-10 companies, find decision makers:

Step 1: Navigate to Company Page

Go to qualified company's LinkedIn page.

Step 2: Click "People" Tab

Shows all employees at that company on LinkedIn.

Step 3: Use Search and Filters

Search for decision-maker titles:

• "Director" (finds all director-level)
• "VP" (finds vice presidents)
• "Head of" (finds department heads)
• "Chief" (finds C-level)

Or search by department:

• "Marketing" (shows marketing team)
• "Sales" (shows sales team)
• "Operations" (shows ops team)

Step 4: Identify Actual Decision Maker (Not Just Title)

Verify authority by checking:

Profile indicators:

• How long in current role (6+ months suggests stability)
• Previous roles show progression to leadership
• Posts about strategy or budget decisions
• Manages team (mentions direct reports or team size)

Activity indicators:

• Posts within past 30 days
• Engages with company content
• Shares industry insights
• Comments on relevant topics

Red flags:

• New to role (under 3 months—still learning)
• Title doesn't match responsibilities in description
• Profile inactive for months
• No evidence of authority or decision-making

Step 5: Assess Reachability

Before outreach, check:

Easy to reach:

• Open to connection requests
• Posts publicly on LinkedIn
• Engages with comments
• Has featured section or contact info

Hard to reach:

• 500+ connections (selective)
• Never posts or engages
• "Open to work" off, no signals of openness
• Very senior (CEO of 1,000+ company)

Start with decision makers who show openness to connection.

Company Qualification + Decision Maker Research = Higher Response Rates

Person-First Approach Results

Process: Find 50 VPs, send outreach to all

Company qualification: None

Response rate: 5-10% (2-5 responses)

Why low: Most VPs are at wrong companies (wrong size, industry, or stage)

Company-First Approach Results

Process: Qualify 20 companies, find decision makers at top 10, contact 10 people

Company qualification: All pre-qualified

Response rate: 30-50% (3-5 responses)

Why higher: Same number of responses from 80% less outreach, because you're targeting right people at right companies

More responses from fewer messages = better use of time.

The 4 Types of LinkedIn Decision Makers

Not all decision makers have equal authority. Target based on deal complexity:

Type 1: Economic Buyer (Budget Authority)

Who: CFO, CEO, Business Owner, VP of Department

Authority: Can approve budget directly

Best for: High-ticket sales ($50K+), strategic initiatives

How to identify: "Budget," "P&L," "Strategy" in posts or profile

Type 2: Functional Buyer (Department Head)

Who: Director of Marketing, Head of Sales, Operations Manager

Authority: Controls department budget, influences company decisions

Best for: Department-specific tools ($10K-$50K), ongoing services

How to identify: "Leading team of X," "Managing [department]"

Type 3: Technical Buyer (Evaluator)

Who: Senior Manager, Lead roles, Technical specialists

Authority: Evaluates solutions, recommends to superiors

Best for: Complex technical sales requiring evaluation

How to identify: "Implementing," "Evaluating," "Managing [technical area]"

Type 4: End User (Champion Potential)

Who: Managers, specialists who would use your service

Authority: Can become internal champion

Best for: Building advocacy before approaching economic buyer

How to identify: Would directly benefit from your service

For simple sales: Target Type 1 or 2 directly.

For complex sales: Build relationship with Type 3 or 4 first, then go up.

LinkedIn Search Strategies That Actually Work

Strategy #1: Company-First Search

1. Search for companies matching your ICP
2. Filter by size, industry, location
3. Review company pages
4. Qualify top 10 companies
5. Find decision makers at those 10 only

Time: 1-2 hours for 10 qualified contacts

Response rate: 35-50%

Strategy #2: Title + Company Size Combo

1. Search "[Job Title]" (e.g., "VP Marketing")
2. Apply filters: Company size (10-100), Industry (relevant), Location (target area)
3. Review resulting individuals AND their companies
4. Qualify both person and company before outreach
5. Contact only those where both qualify

Time: 2-3 hours for 15 qualified contacts

Response rate: 25-40%

Strategy #3: Content Engagement Path

1. Post relevant content on LinkedIn
2. See which decision makers engage (like, comment, share)
3. Research their companies
4. If company qualifies, reach out with context
5. Reference their engagement in message

Time: Passive (builds over weeks)

Response rate: 40-60% (warm outreach)

Common LinkedIn Decision Maker Mistakes

Mistake #1: Contacting Everyone with Right Title

Wrong: Message 100 VPs without checking their companies

Right: Check if VP works at company matching your ICP

Mistake #2: Ignoring Company Context

Wrong: "Hi, I help marketing teams..."

Right: "Saw you're hiring 3 marketing roles—we help growing teams in [specific area]..."

Mistake #3: Not Verifying Authority

Wrong: Assume "Director" means decision maker

Right: Check how long in role, if they manage team, if they post about budget/strategy

Mistake #4: Targeting Too Senior or Too Junior

Wrong: Message CEOs of 500-person companies (won't respond) or Coordinators (can't decide)

Right: Target Directors and VPs at mid-market companies (decision authority + accessible)

Quick Decision Maker Qualification Checklist

Before contacting any LinkedIn decision maker:

Company qualified?

• ✓ Right size for your offer
• ✓ Right industry
• ✓ Active (posts/hiring within 90 days)
• ✓ Complete company profile

Person qualified?

• ✓ Title indicates authority (Director, VP, Head, Chief)
• ✓ In role 6+ months
• ✓ Active on LinkedIn (posts within 60 days)
• ✓ Profile shows progression to leadership

Reachable?

• ✓ Open to connections or posts publicly
• ✓ Engages with others' content
• ✓ Not overly senior (VP at 50-person company > CEO at 5,000-person company)

If all boxes checked: Contact with company-specific context

If company qualified but person unclear: Find different decision maker at same company

If company not qualified: Skip entirely, even if person seems perfect

Why Starting with Companies Saves Time

Person-first waste:

• Find perfect VP
• Research their background
• Craft personalized message
• Discover they work at 2-person startup (wrong size)
• Wasted 15 minutes

Company-first efficiency:

• Disqualify company in 2 minutes (too small)
• Never research any individuals there
• Saved 15+ minutes per wrong company

At 50 prospects: Company-first saves 5-8 hours by eliminating wrong companies before individual research begins.

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Related Guides

LinkedIn Research Methods

• Why Company Pages Beat Personal Profiles (Company-first advantages)
• How Teams Use LinkedIn Company Pages (Research approaches)

Cross-Platform Decision Maker Research

• Universal Qualification Framework (Works everywhere)
• Finding Decision Makers on Google Maps (Local business owners)
• Agency Decision Maker Research on Clutch

Research Systems

• Company Qualification Before Contact (Reduce waste)
• Platform Comparison for B2B (When to use LinkedIn)
• All supported platforms