Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

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 […]

Who own the AMS company is like the weather…

By Wes Trochlil | September 9, 2026

Who own the AMS company is like the weather… When I work with clients to find a new AMS, one of the most common questions I get is: “Is the software company owned by private equity or is it privately owned?” While I think this is a legitimate question to ask and have answered, it […]

“As good or better than me.”

By Wes Trochlil | September 2, 2026

“As good or better than me.” I was recently speaking with a software developer working on AI and we were discussing using natural language querying in an AMS. I told him, “The biggest challenge you face is that the first time the AI is wrong, staff will never use it again.” He agreed but then added: “The […]

Documentation is insurance

By Wes Trochlil | August 26, 2026

Documentation is insurance In a conversation with a client about their data management needs, the client pointed out that if they lost one or two key staff members, so much institutional knowledge would go with them that the association would have real difficulty managing their AMS. I recommended that they should document all of their key processes so […]

It all comes down to fundamentals

By Wes Trochlil | August 12, 2026

It all comes down to fundamentals I’m preparing for a webinar that I’m presenting in a couple of weeks, on using data to improve marketing and communications. This is a presentation (in one form or another) that I’ve made for nearly 20 years, and it includes an excellent case study of one association that dramatically improved their […]

Older Posts

Range vs. Average

July 9, 2009

This is a pet peeve of mine, but too often I’ll hear someone say something like: “The average age of […]

Thriving with Data

July 8, 2009

I’m presenting a webinar with Boston Conferencing on Thursday, July 30 at Noon Eastern. The title is :Thriving with Data: […]

Marketing is…

June 30, 2009

“Marketing is anything that helps or hinders sales or use of products and services.” These words are from Terri Langhans, […]

"Every abundance creates a new scarcity"

June 25, 2009

This concept is attributed to Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail. I think there is no disputing this concept. […]

New White Paper Released: How Three Primary Data Systems are Related

June 23, 2009

I’ve posted a new white paper on my website, entitled “The Three Primary Data Management Systems WIthin Associations and How […]

Keeping your long-term members happy

June 18, 2009

Do you know who your “long-term” members are? By long-term, I mean any company or individual who has been a […]

Buzz2009 Social Media for Associations

June 16, 2009

Maddie Grant and Lindy Dreyer at SocialFish have put together a fairly amazing social mediea program entitled Buzz2009 Social Media […]

How does your association compare on conducting elections?

June 11, 2009

Want to see how your association compares to others when it comes to conducting elections? The folks at Votenet are […]

Give me value, I'll give you information

June 9, 2009

I frequently hear associations asking how they can get their members and customers to provide more demographic information to the […]

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