How To Create A Good Information Network

Catching spies and growing a business are not that different. Both rely upon the creation of a good network of sources.

Secret agents do not enter the U.S. with notices pinned to their forehead. Rarely do they invite their local FBI agent for a chat over a cup of coffee. Usually, it’s just the opposite—they run from us, because detection by the FBI can ruin the promising career of a foreign spy in the United States.

In fact, the goal of a secret agent is just that—to be secret.

Once their cover is blown, spies are usually sent back to the motherland, often in disgrace and always embarrassed.

To Catch A Spy

As a counterintelligence agent, my job was to identify potential clients—in my case, foreign spies; and then attempt to lure them from the competition—the Russian Intelligence Services. I did this by “outsourcing” the work of approaching my targets to individuals in the community who had access to them.

The creation of a good network of sources requires perseverance. It takes time and effort to find people who have both developed a genuine relationship with the potential client and yourself.

Unless relationships are built, there is no way to build an effective and efficient information network.

Networks provide essential information—whether it’s about the activities of a secret agent, the competition, or the marketplace. More importantly, the techniques for developing them are very similar.

The Benefits of Outsourcing

Let me share with you the story of George (names have been changed to protect identities.) George was assigned to the San Francisco Russian Consulate. The KGB trained him to be wary of Americans who were too friendly because they could either be informants for the FBI, or worse—undercover agents. He had been taught that one of the best ways to avoid detection was to network only with Americans who had already been vetted by seasoned intelligence officers.

Like most wary business targets, George was not interested in entering into a relationship with the unknown. He had more than his pension to lose if caught and arrested as a traitor by the Russian government and so he developed a nose for those who might be trolling for a way to get close to him.

George was a hard target because he remained alert for an FBI approach. I knew I would be shut out if I took a direct tactic. Instead, I created a good information network to do the work for me.

I had been recruiting a string of sources to get next to people like George for years. Most of them were Americans who had legitimate business with Russians, and they knew that I was just doing my job protecting the secrets of the U.S. This network of sources came to trust me, and in turn—over time—they gained the trust of other Russians in the community.

Characteristics of A Good Network

By the time George arrived, my network of sources was already so much a part of the general landscape that their presence didn’t raise any eyebrows. So the real story behind George’s recruitment is that it started years before he ever arrived.

Here’s what I learned about developing a good network:

• Identify whom your business target trusts and relies upon—and why.
• Recruit these people—I call them mini-recruitments—and convince them that you are the best at what you do.
• Convey your strengths and high standards upon your mini-recruitments—or sources.
• Realize that the sources will, in turn, convey their impressions of you to the target.
• Continue developing your relationship with your sources, just as they are continuing to develop their relationship with your target.

This is what networks do: they collect people by connecting them. These distributed talents add up to a real force. The talent that creates a good network is the same, whether catching spies or growing a business. True—the commodity differs but the principles are the same.

Long Tails

A good network of sources takes time, no matter the nature of your business. The best ones tend to have long tails. They’ll keep going and lead you to the soft underbelly of opportunity—whether it’s the marketplace or a nest of spies.

Here are some things to keep in mind when developing your network of sources:

TIPS:

• Treat them as importantly as your business target.
• Engage in honest conversations about your ultimate goals—never lie to them about your motives.
• Remember the importance of trust when dealing with people. They need to know they can trust you and that’s something you can’t fake.
• Understand that they will “leak” information about you to your target—it’s human nature. We all pick up bits of information about people from mutual acquaintances. Make sure you only “leak” what it genuine and in your best interests.
• Use the leaks as a way of getting positive images of yourself over to your business target.

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.” ~Henry David Thoreau

What tips can you offer on how to build a good network of sources? What is the one thing that has made the most difference in being a successful network builder? What do you think are the most important characteristics of an information network?

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LaRae Quy is former FBI Agent and Founder at Your Best Adventure
She helps clients explore the unknown and discover the hidden truth in self & others
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