Deeper Thinking For Real Results

It’s hard to find marketing training programs that combine depth with real-world application. Many options are overly academic or too simplistic.

That’s why we created Practical Marketing Skills — to provide real-world learning that starts with critical thinking. Our content bridges the gap between market research and brand management, helping teams align, solve problems, and make effective decisions.

Trusted by

About
Our Work

95% of participants would recommend our programs to a colleague

Mitch received the Lilly Lifetime Achievement Award for advancing the practice of marketing

50+ combined years of experience in healthcare marketing and market research

About Mitch & Melinda

A Note From Mitch & Melinda

After years of consulting for healthcare organizations, we uncovered ways to blend our strengths for better results.

We founded Practical Marketing Skills to share our decades of in-the-trenches experience in bite-size lessons — designed for busy healthcare marketers.

It’s our hope that these ideas spark better thinking, the right action, and real results for your business.

– Mitch & Melinda

Melinda Spaulding

Co-Founder

Melinda has over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical and healthcare market research. After earning her Master’s in Market Research at the University of Georgia, she joined the Eli Lilly and Company team. Melinda eventually shifted to the service side, leading the analytics function and serving on the executive committee for G&S Research.

In 2007, she and her husband established Practical Insights, Inc., allowing growth beyond primary market research projects.

Today, Melinda is sought after for her ability to synthesize data, connect insights to strategy, and share the art of storytelling.

When Melinda isn’t working, she’s attempting to “get a run in,” but often that means she’s chasing her kids around the house. Melinda also volunteers at her kids’ local school.

Mitch Tull

Co-Founder

Mitch Tull has over 30 years of experience in global pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing. After holding marketing leadership roles at Eli Lilly and Company, including leading their renowned Marketing Institute, Mitch turned his focus to teaching what he learned.

As Founder and Principal of Marketing Skill Partners LLC, he advises marketing capability leaders on the marketing foundations that drive top-line business results.

When Mitch is not working, he is involved in global humanitarian and education causes. Mitch enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with his children and grandchildren.

Guiding Principles

Training is dead, but learning is alive.

Today’s busy marketers don’t want training that ties them to their desks. However, studies show they still want to learn — when it’s on their terms. That’s why it’s important to design learning experiences that fit into real life.

Learning should be practical and engaging.

Boring training loses people fast. Enjoyable, useful learning creates a culture of continuous improvement. Our goal is to create content that marketers binge like Netflix and put into action the next day.

Critical thinking is a foundational skill.

Marketers need more than tactics and theories. They need to ask the right questions and consider different perspectives to make better decisions. When you create a culture of critical thinkers, you build a company poised to grow.