Networking without feeling pushy after 15 years as a procurement assistant

I want to talk to people in a new field but I hate cold messages. This is my first time dealing with any of this. I worry about bothering people. What did you ask?

I asked what they wish they had known at my stage. People enjoy answering that.

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