Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

[ai_chat_window]

My most recent posts

Why bother with a consultant when I have AI?

By Wes Trochlil | October 14, 2026

Why bother with a consultant when I have AI? As AI becomes increasingly powerful, the value of using an AMS selection consultant (and many other types of consultants!) starts to come into question. After all, with very well-constructed prompts and responses, an association could develop a very solid needs analysis and RFP that could be used to […]

Guardrails can be helpful!

By Wes Trochlil | October 7, 2026

Guardrails can be helpful! When selecting a new AMS, I find my clients are often very tempted by custom software or “platform” systems (e.g., built on Salesforce or MS Dynamics) because these systems are infinitely configurable. After all, if I can make the system do anything I want, that’s a good thing, right? Well, maybe. In […]

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?”

By Wes Trochlil | September 30, 2026

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?” I had a conversation with a client recently about developing KPIs, reports, and queries from their forthcoming data warehouse. My client said: “We have a ton of requests for KPIs and reports. How do we determine which to focus on first?” My response: “When someone requests a dashboard […]

Showing is not teaching

By Wes Trochlil | September 23, 2026

Showing is not teaching In my experience, when new staff members are taught how to use their AMS (or LMS, CMS, FMS, etc.) they aren’t really taught how to use the system, they are shown how to use it. So what’s the difference? In a nutshell, showing only covers the “how” and “what.” But teaching […]

Data management is improvisation

By Wes Trochlil | September 16, 2026

Data management is improvisation I was listening to a podcast recently featuring TV writer Rob Long. During the podcast he said (I’m paraphrasing) that, in order to be successful, one needs to learn to improvise, because nothing in life ever goes as planned. One of my favorite sayings is, “If you want to make God […]

Older Posts

Don’t miss obvious engagement data

October 23, 2024

Don’t miss obvious engagement data What I’ve experienced with my clients over the years is that too many associations are […]

All data requires active management

October 16, 2024

All data requires active management It’s a simple fact of data management that is often overlooked: Any data that is […]

Documentation is critical for consistency

October 9, 2024

Documentation is critical for consistency There are so many reasons why documenting your data management processes are so critical to […]

Consumer demands change and technology changes

October 2, 2024

Consumer demands change and technology changes When I work with clients on the selection of a new AMS, I’ll often […]

Why I write

September 25, 2024

Why I write Thirty years ago, I started a new job as director of membership for a small trade association. It […]

DAN – The Data Analytics Network

September 18, 2024

DAN – The Data Analytics Network I’m a huge fan of users groups (both internal and external!). After all, users […]

Process before technology

September 11, 2024

Process before technology In a conversation with a client recently, I was reminded (yet again) of how important people and […]

Opting out and communication preferences

September 4, 2024

Opting out and communication preferences Last week’s newsletter discussed the need for associations to collect mobile phone numbers for use in […]

Are you collecting mobile phone numbers? You should be.

August 28, 2024

Are you collecting mobile phone numbers? You should be. Are you collecting (and using) the mobile phone numbers of your […]

Scroll to Top