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

Beware: Small things can add up to big time suckers…

July 10, 2017

When I work with clients, one thing I focus on is process. How is data managed within the organization? What […]

Four Elements of Data: Volume, velocity, variety, and veracity

July 7, 2017

I don’t remember where I first read this, but I love this description of the four elements of data. Volume, […]

Things you WANT to hear about your database

July 5, 2017

I was speaking at an ASAE event recently and ran into a woman I had worked with at a past […]

Implied Interest and your database

June 30, 2017

I don’t recall where I first heard the term, but I’ve been using the concept of “implied interest” since back […]

Is data an afterthought at your organization?

June 28, 2017

I was working with a client recently and discussing how data is currently managed in their organization. During the course […]

Before choosing a new AMS vendor, ask yourself THIS question…

June 26, 2017

Before you sign up with a new AMS vendor, ask yourself this question: “Can I spend the next 7-10 years […]

Don't let the exception drive the rule

June 23, 2017

I’ve written many times about managing exceptions and being careful not to design rules around exceptions. As a general rule […]

What efforts are you making to maintain the relationship with your vendor?

June 21, 2017

As has been noted elsewhere, the AMS market has experienced significant changes over the past year. As one simple but […]

Technology improvements lead to higher customer expectations

June 19, 2017

The irony of improving technology to better serve customers is that the better technology leads to…greater expectations of customer service. […]

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