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

Registration Kiosks

October 4, 2007

I've been hearing a lot lately from vendors about "registration kiosks." These are computers or kiosks set up in a […]

Copies of Copies

October 3, 2007

I went to see my doctor the other day. At the end of the appointment, the doctor asked the receptionist […]

Best Practices in Software Training

October 2, 2007

I've done a lot of training on using software, and I've sat through even more in conjunction with implementation projects […]

Are your Rules Keeping Your Staff from Thinking?

October 1, 2007

Going through security at the airport the other day, I dutifully took my shoes off, pulled my laptop out of […]

Rants from Gartner

September 28, 2007

Other posts on the Cartner CRM Summit 2007 can be found here. Now that I’ve discussed all the take-aways from […]

Take-aways from Gartner, Part 6

September 27, 2007

Other posts on the Gartner CRM Summit 2007 can be found here. One of the Gartner presenters made the point […]

Take-aways from Gartner, Part 5

September 26, 2007

Note: This post is especially for Ben Martin. 😉 Other posts on the Cartner CRM Summit 2007 can be found […]

Take-aways from Gartner, Part 4

September 25, 2007

Other posts on the Gartner CRM Summit 2007 can be found here. One of the Gartner presenters identified three areas […]

Take-aways from Gartner, Part 3

September 24, 2007

Other posts on the Cartner CRM Summit 2007 can be found here. A prediction from the Gartner conference: Up to […]

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