When you claim to know a certain number of people, be ready to name them and talk about them. The actual number doesn't matter as much as being able to back it up. That's what builds real credibility.
That's affirmation component. When I say 3 people, I better be able to name the other 2 people I'm willing to have a conversation with if they ask me who are the other 2, because it can be 5, it can be 7, it can be 12. But if I get challenged in that, I want to make sure that I'm able to answer that question.
