maybe intelligent people are better role models

Some people use their intelligence to do intelligent decisions; those would be good to follow. Some people use their intelligence mostly for signalling intelligence (see your local Mensa for examples); those would be bad to follow.

The necessary part of the low-IQ person's strategy would be to recognize the former from the latter. Unfortunately, those good role models often don't fit the popular stereotype of an intelligent person. They often even don't consider themselves to be highly intelligent.

Some anecdotal data: Despite me generally expressing contempt for Mensa in LW forums, I actually do recommend people I consider smart to go take the Mensa IQ test. Not to join the Mensa, only to do the test; to calibrate on their own intelligence. A few people who later did the test successfully at first completely denied the idea of being highly intelligent. And it's actually those people I would recommend as the best role models. But if they don't recognize themselves and even actively deny their intelligence, how should their neighbors recognize them?