If you want to ask companies about problems they're facing you'll need to learn sales. I've been a freelancer for 12 years and these books changed my life...

* How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients by Jeffrey J. Fox

* The Dollarization Discipline: How Smart Companies Create Customer Value...and Profit from It by Jeffrey J. Fox

* The Brain Audit: Why Customers Buy (And Why They Don't) by Sean D'Souza

* The Ultimate Sales Letter: Attract New Customers. Boost your Sales by Dan S. Kennedy

* The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Mathew Dixon and Brent Adamson

Also watch a few Gary Vaynerchuck Keynotes and you'll get ideas on how to add value first, specifically read this blog post https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/working-for-free-the-debate/