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

Even the Big Guys Struggle with System Implementation

April 3, 2008

I think there is a common misconception among smaller organizations that somehow "big" companies don't have the same kinds of challenges with […]

"It's like trying too many perfumes…"

April 1, 2008

When I work with my clients on system selection, one thing I strongly advise them to do is limit the […]

"Always on purpose."

March 20, 2008

I had the pleasure of speaking with Ann Hamilton of Disney a few weeks ago. During our conversation, I asked […]

And speaking of backing up your data…

March 18, 2008

Yet another reason you want to be sure your backups are working… Disgruntled Employee Deletes Company's Files   (Hat tip, […]

Business Intelligence Survey Results

March 13, 2008

I recently conducted an unscientific survey of association executives, asking them what their plans are for business intelligence. Of the […]

User Adoption is a Problem Everywhere

March 11, 2008

Listening to a podcast from Voices of CRM recently, I was not surprised to learn that the number one problem […]

Learning New Systems Take Time

March 6, 2008

Just a few weeks ago, after more than 20 years as a PC user, I switched to Mac. I'd like […]

"Where is that data?"

March 4, 2008

Those who know me know I'm a huge advocate of centralized data management systems. By that I mean a database […]

"Why don't you just tell me which system to buy?"

February 28, 2008

Clients will sometimes say to me: "Can't you just tell me what the best association management system is so that […]

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