HIRC's Account Manager Performance report benchmarks 40+ pharmaceutical manufacturer account management teams based on managed care customer evaluations of skills and overall quality. The report provides insights into critical account manager success factors, as well as customer perspectives and expectations. The report addresses the following questions:

• Which very large, large, and mid-size pharmaceutical firms rank highest in account manager presence and quality?
• How do manufacturers benchmark across ten account manager core and consultative competencies?
• Which core and consultative skills are most important for account managers to demonstrate? What opportunities exist for improvement?
• How do pharmaceutical firms benchmark in engagement and quality ratings across health plan pharmacy director, health plan medical director, and pharmacy benefit manager managed market segments?

Key Finding: The best account managers excel in both core and consultative skills. Leading account managers demonstrate an understanding of customer needs, have excellent healthcare business & financial acumen, and are viewed as trusted advisors.

Lilly Ranks Highest in Account Manager Presence & Quality Across Managed Market Segments. Lilly earns the highest overall account manager presence and quality score across managed markets panels in 2024. Pfizer and AbbVie follow as leaders in the very large manufacturer segment, while Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Boehringer Ingelheim lead in the large manufacturer cohort. Bayer, Biogen, and Astellas lead in the mid-size manufacturer segment.

HIRC calculated manufacturers' overall account manager score based on managed markets customer evaluations of account managers in two key categories:

• Presence: Ability to rate the account manager Quality:
• Overall quality of the account manager

Leading Account Management Teams Excel in Both Core and Consultative Competencies. In addition to overall presence and quality, managed markets key decision-makers were asked to consider account manager performance across ten critical core and consultative account manager skills. The highest ranked account managers have deep product knowledge, demonstrate an understanding of customer priorities, act as a trusted advisors, and display excellent healthcare business and financial acumen.

Pfizer consistently leads in performance across the most important core and consultative skills to managed markets customers. The full report details account manager performance across 40+ pharmaceutical manufacturers. Additionally, benchmark data is segmented by the following:

• Commercial Health Plan Pharmacy Directors
• Commercial Health Plan Medical Directors
• Pharmacy Benefit Manager Executives

Research Methodology and Report Availability. In January, HIRC surveyed 80 key decision-makers from leading commercial health plans and pharmacy benefit managers. Online surveys and follow-up telephone interviews were used to gather information. The Account Manager Performance report is part of the Best Programs and Best People Service and is now available to subscribers at www.hirc.com.