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

"Just because it's not optimal, doesn't mean it's not beneficial."

June 27, 2019

I’m a big fan of the author James Clear (https://jamesclear.com/) who writes about the formation of habits. I believe (good!) habits […]

It doesn’t have to be optimal to be beneficial

June 26, 2019

It doesn’t have to be optimal to be beneficial I’m a big fan of the author James Clear (https://jamesclear.com/) who […]

Look for small wins

June 23, 2019

One of the toughest things about system implementation is simply how long it takes to complete one. And so keeping […]

Look for small wins

June 19, 2019

Look for small wins One of the toughest things about system implementation is simply how long it takes to complete […]

Close the loop!

June 13, 2019

If your association does a call for presentations for any of your events, do you provide feedback to those submitters […]

Are you closing the loop?

June 12, 2019

Are you closing the loop? If your association does a call for presentations for any of your events, do you […]

Declare victory and move on

June 5, 2019

Declare victory and move on The law of diminishing returns is the point at which the amount of benefits gained is […]

What's the Worst That Could Happen?

May 31, 2019

While it may sound flippant, when helping a client make a decision I’ll often ask “What’s the worst that can happen?” […]

How often are you meeting with your AMS vendor?

May 23, 2019

I’ve written before about how your relationship with your vendor is much like a marriage. Can you imagine if you […]

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