"Does a body have mass, speed and direction? In physics, that's what momentum means," explains Ricci, whose 206-page hardcover book, released in November 2002 by Harvard Business School Press, is subtitled How Companies Become Unstoppable Market Forces.

"I'm not a physicist by any means. I'm a liberal arts guy," Ricci adds, chuckling at the suggestion that he might be degreed in engineering or physics. On the contrary, he holds a bachelor's degree in politics and a master's degree in journalism. "My dream was to be Bob Woodward. I loved politics, writing and journalism," he says.

While obtaining his first degree at Fairfield University in Connecticut, Ricci did some local precinct work for Edward Kennedy's 1980 presidential campaign and also interned with the Connecticut Legislature.

After obtaining his second degree in 1983, Ricci says, he realized there weren't nearly as many job opportunities in journalism as he'd thought, so he went into public relations. That job evolved into the one he held until just 2¹/2 years ago—that of a brand positioning and strategic marketing consultant for many Silicon Valley firms.

In the past, while consulting for industry giants like IBM and Hewlett-Packard, Ricci says, he was puzzled when market analyses showed these companies were falling behind what he calls the "up-and-comers" at the time, such as Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems. Interestingly enough, the latter company would later become his employer.

From 1995 through 2000, Ricci conducted detailed studies on this topic, including a survey of some 20,000 customers of high-tech companies. He eventually used the results—with research assistance from his friend and colleague John Volkmann—to write Momentum, for which Harvard Business School Press gave him an 18-month contract.

"In big companies and small companies, when you work in marketing and sales, it's sometimes hard to talk with the engineers," Ricci says. "I wanted a way for there to be a common vocabulary that everyone in a company could converse about and understand and then take to their customers."

"I worked on this at night, on weekends and on family vacations. My laptop was an extension of my body," he admits, extending thanks to his wife, Loretta Stagnitto Ricci, and their two young children. "It felt like a mission for me. I was committed to my publisher, my professional reputation was on the line and I didn't know if I'd ever have a chance like this again."

Ricci notes that he completed Momentum on Sept. 10, 2001—a few days past the publisher's deadline. He says he's grateful he wasn't one day later: "If I hadn't turned it in before Sept. 11, I probably never would have!"

His momentum still unbroken, Ricci says his book is selling well enough that he's already considering a follow-up. "I think I have another one in me," he says, adding that his second book will probably deal with executives such as CEOs and how they can improve their successes by improving their communication skills.

In the meantime, he says, he stays busy working as the vice president of corporate positioning for Cisco. He is also a dedicated coach for his daughter's and son's sports teams and enjoys golfing and gardening. "They're good ways to de-stress, but unfortunately I don't get enough of them," he says with a chuckle.

'Momentum: How Companies Become Unstoppable Market Forces' is available in local bookstores, including Borders in Old Town, as well as on Amazon.com.