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

Take my one question survey

August 5, 2008

If you are an association staffer or executive, I’d appreciate it if you could answer my one question survey. It […]

Swimming with your clothes on (When it's time for a staff change)

July 31, 2008

Let’s face it, sometimes there is a mismatch between a person’s abilities or attitude, and the needs of the job. […]

New Article Posted

July 29, 2008

I’ve posted a new article on my website, entitled “Establishing a Contact Tracking Policy.” Of course, if you’re already on […]

Collect as little data as possible (when selling)

July 24, 2008

Yes, you read that right. When selling anything online, whether it’s membership joins, renewals, event registration, or product sales, you […]

BI Case Study: National Defense Industrial Association

July 22, 2008

This is the last of four case studies on how associations are using business intelligence, about which I presented at […]

Reports are Better than Queries

July 17, 2008

I’m often asked by my clients, when pulling data, if they should use a report or a query. The answer, […]

BI Case Study: Professional Golfers Association

July 8, 2008

This is the third of four case studies on how associations are using business intelligence, about which I presented at […]

BI Case Study: National Association of College and University Business Officers

June 17, 2008

This is the second of four case studies on how associations are using business intelligence, about which I presented at […]

BI Case Study: Texas Medical Association

June 12, 2008

This is the first of four case studies on how associations are using business intelligence, about which I presented at […]

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