Yes, it is possible. These are called Information Interviews.

The key to keep in mind here is that some people are going to be happy to talk with you, and a few are not. Don't take the few personally: they don't want to talk to anybody.

If you want a fast turnaround, call; if you can wait, send a letter. I suppose you have the option of an email as well, but those are easy to ignore.

So let's say you were to simply call up companies, ask for the right person, and get talking with those you could connect with. Some would just tell you openly what was going on in their industry. Unbidden! Unprompted!

Some people just want to be helpful.

Some want to show off what they know.

Let them.

I'm sharing this with you so you understand that the world is not stacked against you. I had a client who was in Florida and worked a 9-5 so he couldn't make dials in his own time zone. We picked Colorado because it was a couple hours behind, and the roofing industry because it could use the marketing help he provided.

Within a dozen dials, we had the marketing manager of a medium-sized roofing business on the line. And she just started telling us the pain points and state of the Colorado roofing industry! I could sell this information!

So communicate with your target interviewees, and simply be honest with them. Tell them what you're looking to do, and ask them if they'd be open to sharing their knowledge and experience with you for 20 minutes, since you know they have a lot of value to share.

It really is that easy. Some will say yes; a few will say no. But all you care about is those you say yes. The others are probably in companies that aren't doing well--clamming up is a sign of financial failure.

You may have to book a talk time with them, ie. not right at the moment you make your first connection. That's fine. I've waited three months to interview people. They're busy, and they mean it when they put a date in their calendar. But enough will talk to you now.

Fear is what stops nearly everyone. There's nothing to be afraid of here. If someone--and it's really unlikely anyone will--acts like a jerk, they're a jerk. It's nothing against you. Thank goodness they showed you so quickly! Get talking with the people who are open to talking with you.