About the Author

Laura Ricci became a consultant after working many years inside professional technical firms, turning around marketing performance and winning new work. By training support and technical staff, she raised hit rates from near 40 percent to over 70 percent. Contract sizes ballooned as the sophistication of marketing rose, and new approaches to proposal development were tested and researched to be sure what worked could be repeated. She is most proud of creating a string of proposal professionals who make things happen in their firms, support good people doing great things, and routinely raise hit rates for must win proposals to over 90 percent. Her background included an MBA from Golden Gate University where she was named Outstanding Graduate of her class. Drake University Law School provided her legal education and me-thodical approach to strategy development. She matriculated from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville with a Bache-lor's degree at the end of her term as Student Body President. Laura put herself through college with a wide variety of jobs and honed her creative skills keeping herself in school.