Cold messages to people in my field, do they work? after 10 years as a paralegal

I want to talk to people in a new field but I hate cold messages. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. I worry about bothering people. How do you phrase the request?

Do not apologise for asking. Most people remember someone who helped them.

Follow up with a thank-you and a short update. One of my chats led to a referral a month later.