In today’s life sciences environment, organizations have successfully built account teams across sales, market access, medical affairs, and patient support. Yet many continue to struggle with fragmented execution, inconsistent customer engagement, and missed opportunities.
In this LTEN Focus article, Wendy Heckelman, Tianna Tye, and Sheryl Unger explore why the challenge is not organizational structure, but rather how organizations operate across functions. The authors argue that account management must be treated as an enterprise capability supported by leadership alignment, shared ways of working, and coordinated execution.
The article outlines practical strategies for building an enterprise account management mindset, including:
- Defining role-agnostic account management behaviors
- Anchoring learning and development to the account planning process
- Embedding collaboration, coordination, and communication (the 3C’s) into daily execution
- Aligning senior leadership around a common operating model
- Equipping first-line managers to coach cross-functional account teams
The authors demonstrate how organizations can move beyond siloed training programs and create sustainable account management capabilities that improve customer engagement and business performance.
Originally published in LTEN Focus Magazine, June 2026.