Closing the loop

Report back. Say what you did with it and what happened, including when the advice did not work. It takes one sentence and it is the strongest single predictor of whether somebody helps you a second time, because most people never hear the outcome of anything they gave time to.

And ask the right person. That is usually not the most senior or the most expert, but somebody one or two steps ahead — who still remembers the problem, has the time, and can explain it at the level you are actually at.