Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

AI is a journey, not a destination

By Wes Trochlil | April 15, 2026

AI is a journey, not a destination Lately I’ve noticed a lot of associations talking about AI like it’s a moon shot. “We need an AI project.” “We’re rolling out AI in Q4.” That language suggests AI is something you implement once and then check off the list. It isn’t. AI is a journey, and […]

Action produces information

By Wes Trochlil | April 8, 2026

Action produces information “Action produces information. If you’re unsure of what to do, just do anything, even if it’s the wrong thing. This will give you information about what you should actually be doing.” – Brian Armstrong, co-founder of Coinbase This is the great thing about data and why I’ve been in this business so long. […]

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial…

By Wes Trochlil | March 25, 2026

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial… The holy grail of data management is the “single source of truth.” As I like to characterize it, when someone asks “Where is the data about X?” everyone knows the answer and everyone gives the SAME answer. One of the most common challenges I hear from my […]

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

By Wes Trochlil | March 18, 2026

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should I’ve worked in and with associations for well over 37 years now. And one of the things I’ve always loved and appreciated about association staffers is their willingness to do whatever is needed to get the job done. But the problem is this “Yes, we can!” attitude can also […]

Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful

By Wes Trochlil | March 4, 2026

Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful “Your data doesn’t have to be perfect to be useful.” – (Borrowed with permission from Intellidata’s Slice newsletter.) In my experience, many associations hold themselves back from cleaning up their data, because they are overwhelmed with where to start, and they also think success can only be achieved […]

Older Posts

"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 […]

Establishing Priorities

February 26, 2008

When converting to a new data management system, you are faced with many decisions regarding priorities. There is so much […]

Not every decision made will be correct

February 21, 2008

When working with associations on implementation of their databases, there are points throughout the process where we will have to […]

SIIA Release Survey on Social Media

February 19, 2008

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has released a survey of how businesses are using social media. The contents […]

FAQs – Do you have them?

February 13, 2008

FAQs are "frequently asked questions." My question for you is: Do you have FAQs on your website for your members […]

Serving Suggestions for your Database?

February 12, 2008

I was having some crackers and cheese spread (Wispride Port Wine) the other day, and noticed something on the side […]

A Simple Training Tip

February 7, 2008

If you do training, whether one-on-one, or in a classroom setting, here's a tip that will increase the learning retention […]

CRM Continues to Disappoint…and here's why

February 5, 2008

"CRM Continues to Disappoint" says the headline of this article on SearchCRM.com. In a nutshell, the companies that were surveyed […]

When is "Good Enough" Good Enough?

January 29, 2008

My friend and colleague Rob Pitzer at the Smithsonian Institution asked me a great question: "How do you deal with the […]

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