Networking without feeling pushy after 18 years as a delivery driver

A friend suggested informational chats and I do not know how to ask. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. Some people reply with short answers. What did you ask?

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

I wrote three short lines: who I am, why them and a small ask for fifteen minutes. About one in four said yes.