Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Why bother with a consultant when I have AI?

By Wes Trochlil | October 14, 2026

Why bother with a consultant when I have AI? As AI becomes increasingly powerful, the value of using an AMS selection consultant (and many other types of consultants!) starts to come into question. After all, with very well-constructed prompts and responses, an association could develop a very solid needs analysis and RFP that could be used to […]

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 […]

Older Posts

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 […]

It's all about expectations

May 9, 2019

A couple of weeks ago I had to go to the DMV to turn in some license plates and possibly […]

Rhythm Software Enters the Fray…

May 3, 2019

I was pleasantly surprised to learn this week that Andrew Ryan and Jim Catts, formerly of MemberSuite, have co-founded a […]

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