Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Improvement is never linear

By Wes Trochlil | June 10, 2026

Improvement is never linear One of the many lessons one learns over a lifetime is that improvement, regardless of what you’re trying to improve, is never linear. That is, you’ll always have days where you’re better, and days where you don’t improve, or maybe even fall back. And so it is with data management. Even if you […]

Don’t forget to take a “before” picture!

By Wes Trochlil | June 3, 2026

Don’t forget to take a “before” picture! Whenever I start on a big home clean up or renovation project, I like to take a “before” picture, so that I can see the progress that was made when the project is complete. (Ironically, even though I’m the son of an award-winning amateur photographer, I often forget […]

Are you being penny wise and pound foolish?

By Wes Trochlil | May 27, 2026

Are you being penny wise and pound foolish? Two quick customer service stories to illustrate a point: First story: I’ve used the same email provider for more than 20 years. But for technical reasons, recently I needed to switch providers, so I canceled my service with them a few weeks in advance of my renewal. […]

AMS Products are getting better – and what that means for you

By Wes Trochlil | May 20, 2026

AMS Products are getting better – and what that means for you I’ve been working in and with AMS products for 36 years (27 years of consulting, nine years as an association staffer). And I can say with great confidence that the systems available today are much better than they were 36 years ago! (Shocking, I know.) But […]

Using AI beyond content generation

By Wes Trochlil | May 13, 2026

Using AI beyond content generation Recent surveys by ASAE and others suggest nearly 90% of associations are using AI for some type of content generation (e.g., creating blog posts, newsletter articles, “canned” responses to inquiries, etc.). That is great, but when it comes to data management, there are so many more opportunities for leveraging AI. Here are some ideas […]

Older Posts

How to Choose a Database Consultant

May 21, 2009

I recently spoke at a meeting for the Canadian Society of Association Executives on how to use my seven step […]

More Transparency from AMS Vendors

May 20, 2009

I like to give props to AMS vendors when they do something really smart. I’ve written about Avectra’s publicly available […]

My fifth favorite tip…

May 19, 2009

This is the last in a series of tips from my book, Put Your Data to Work: 52 Tips and […]

My fourth favorite tip…

May 18, 2009

This is the fourth in a series of tips from my book, Put Your Data to Work: 52 Tips and […]

My third favorite tip…

May 15, 2009

This is the third in a series of tips from my book, Put Your Data to Work: 52 Tips and […]

My second favorite tip…

May 14, 2009

This is the second in a series of tips from my book, Put Your Data to Work: 52 Tips and […]

These are a few of my favorite tips…

May 13, 2009

With the recent release of my book, Put Your Data to Work: 52 Tips and Techniques for Effectively Managing Your […]

"That which no one owns, no one will care for"

May 12, 2009

I’ve seen this quote attributed to Aristotle, among others. Not sure who said it, but it rings true when it […]

Welcome to the 20th Century! Airlines discover CRM

May 8, 2009

I read in the Wall St. Journal that US airlines have finally begun adopting some CRM (customer relationship management) tools […]

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