Closing your IB networking conversation going in a "cold call"

So I've been cold emailing some IB workers to get them on the phone to talk and build a connection. It rarely works but when I do get a conversation, I suck at closing it to get the referral. Starting the conversation is pretty straightforward but once I get to the middle where I need to keep it going and transition it to the end/request I fizzle out

Do you guys have good go to transitions/topics that keep the conversation going but also starts moving you closer toward your goal of a referral?

Thanks!