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

What is "small"? Depends on who you ask.

January 17, 2018

Over my nearly 30 years in the association space, one of the things that always gives me a chuckle is […]

"Too expensive" and "Doesn't provide enough value" are the same thing

January 16, 2018

I recently came across a one-question service from a service provider (I think it was some kind of online software…) […]

Are you talking about your data? You should be.

January 12, 2018

In his book Contagious, Jonah Berger discusses the concept of “social influence.” In short, social influence is a change in […]

The Number of Test Scenarios Illustrates How Complex Your Business Rules Are

January 11, 2018

During the process of implementing a new AMS, one of the steps you’ll take is creating and testing scenarios for […]

EVERY System has duplicate records. Get used to it!

January 10, 2018

One of the most common challenges all of my clients face is duplicate records. And the simple fact is, even […]

Speak Up!

January 9, 2018

One of the more frustrating aspects of consulting is running into staff who are unwilling to speak up when speaking […]

You're not special (when it comes to data management)

December 1, 2017

I don’t mean to sound harsh, but the truth is, when it comes to data management, your association is probably […]

Want to be successful? Do the work!

November 30, 2017

I’m often asked what the major success factors are for an AMS (or any system) implementation. There are many, of […]

New article posted: Understanding Queries

November 21, 2017

When I work with my clients on any issues related to data management, whether it’s selecting a new AMS, or […]

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