Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Guardrails can be helpful!

By Wes Trochlil | October 7, 2026

Guardrails can be helpful! When selecting a new AMS, I find my clients are often very tempted by custom software or “platform” systems (e.g., built on Salesforce or MS Dynamics) because these systems are infinitely configurable. After all, if I can make the system do anything I want, that’s a good thing, right? Well, maybe. In […]

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?”

By Wes Trochlil | September 30, 2026

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?” I had a conversation with a client recently about developing KPIs, reports, and queries from their forthcoming data warehouse. My client said: “We have a ton of requests for KPIs and reports. How do we determine which to focus on first?” My response: “When someone requests a dashboard […]

Showing is not teaching

By Wes Trochlil | September 23, 2026

Showing is not teaching In my experience, when new staff members are taught how to use their AMS (or LMS, CMS, FMS, etc.) they aren’t really taught how to use the system, they are shown how to use it. So what’s the difference? In a nutshell, showing only covers the “how” and “what.” But teaching […]

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 […]

Older Posts

Backing Up, Part 37 in an infinite series…

November 13, 2007

One of my (many) soapboxes is tryi to get people to back up their data and make sure it’s backed […]

A Great Example of a Users Group

November 8, 2007

All of my clients know that I'm a huge proponent of users groups. I like 'em so much, I actually […]

Quoted on monster.com

November 5, 2007

I’ve written about training in the past (see here). I was also recently quoted on monster.com about how to get […]

The Power of the Users Group (and open source software)

November 1, 2007

James Michael-Hill, Web/Database Manager for the Utilities Telecom Council, posted a note to the Avectra Users Group, explaining how he has […]

More evidence that people want to pay online

October 31, 2007

It would seem this would be self-evident at this point in the game, but in case it's not, here's more […]

Quoted in CRMBuyer.com

October 29, 2007

I provided my thoughts on the Gartner CRM Summit these posts. But I was recently quoted on CRMBuyer.com for my […]

Avectra Scores BIG VC Money

October 26, 2007

The association management software world is known more for its smaller “mom and pop” vendors than for big software players. […]

The Wisdom of Children

October 25, 2007

At the dinner table with my family the other day, I was discussing an issue as my nine-year-old son listened […]

Data Management Malpractice

October 15, 2007

UPDATE: Link fixed  Terry Dowdy forwarded me his thoughts about this recent story in The Washington Post about The Nature Conservancy's […]

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