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

Modeling Behavior

August 31, 2007

The other day my two-year old daughter and I walked to our mailbox to mail a letter. The mailbox is […]

You gotta have a back up plan

August 30, 2007

No, I’m not talking about data back up this time. I’m talking about having a back up plan for how […]

Is there any information here?

August 29, 2007

Recently while driving along the GW Parkway (just outside DC) I came upon an electronic road sign (you know, the […]

New Technology Requires Additional Attention

August 28, 2007

One of the more common mistakes I see is organizations assuming that they can add new technology without considering what […]

Why You Should Have a Test Environment

August 27, 2007

Many years ago while working as an association staffer, I was trying to kill some time on a Friday afternoon. […]

It's a Process, Not an Event

August 24, 2007

“So when we get our new database we’ll be done, right?” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard […]

Making It Easy To Buy From You

August 23, 2007

When I talk with my clients about how they process orders at their organization (whether it be membership joins and […]

AMS Vendor Offers Free Software

August 22, 2007

Members Only Software has been running a quarterly giveaway of their association management software to “needy” organizations. According to the […]

NCOA and mCOA

August 21, 2007

Vinay Kumar of GRC Direct had a great post on one of the ASAE listservers a few weeks back about […]

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