Praise and Reviews
'Even if you think you know it all, The Top Consultant contains much useful and practical advice'
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY
"A practical no-nonsense book about being a consultant."
- Ambassador Magazine
Highly acclaimed, The Top Consultant is a comprehensive guide for all consultants looking to provide a first class service to their clients, and who wish to become expert practitioners. In this fourth edition of what has become a standard text, Calvert Markham shows how consultants can develop their performance in a wide range of areas, including:
Product development and marketing in consultancy.
Selling and managing consultancy projects.
Consultancy problem solving.
Running a consultancy business.
Managing client relationships.
Packed with practical tips and techniques for developing professional skills, The Top Consultant is the essential guide for all consultants wishing to upgrade their skills and become leading edge practitioners in their field.
Most of Calvert Markham's career has been as a management consultant, initially specialising in HR consultancy but now concentrating on the performance development of consultants and practices.
Current interests
Consultant development and training
In 1989 Calvert set up Consultancy Skills Training which specialises in this area. Since its formation it has trained thousands of consultants from hundreds of organisations around the world. In 2007 it was rebranded as Elevation Learning.
Consultancy for knowledge-based organisations
In 2003 Calvert set up GreySpace Consulting to support organisations for whom selling and delivering professional services is a relatively new activity. Challenges might include deciding on value propositions, looking at new channels to market, setting up the business and developing its performance.
Career history
After graduation Calvert joined ICI where he worked successively as a process control engineer, production manager and finally as a marketing manager. He entered the world of consultancy with PA Management Consultants in 1974, where he specialised as a human resources consultant.
In 1984, he moved to Spicer & Pegler Associates and developed their human resources consultancy practice, leaving to become an independent consultant in 1987.
Professional background
Calvert has a degree from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences, and a Diploma in Management Studies. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Business Consulting (formerly the Institute of Management Consultancy (IMC)) of which he was President in 2004, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
In 2008, Calvert was appointed the first President of the Richmond Group, of which he is a former Chairman, and he is a Past Master of the City-based Worshipful Company of Management Consultants, of which he was a founding member.
Calvert is a UK Trustee on the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes and is a member of its Executive Committee; he also chairs the IBC International Group.
In 2005 Calvert was appointed Visiting Professor in the practice of management consultancy at Cass Business School in City University. His website is www.elevationlearning.co.uk
