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

Are your vendors backing up your data?

July 27, 2016

One of my favorite aphorisms in data management is “There are those who backup, and those who will.” Once you’ve […]

Which of these resources is most important?

July 25, 2016

I spoke at AAMSE’s annual conference last week, and prior to my session, I got to see Jeffrey Hausfeld of the […]

New Article Posted – 80% is Good Enough

July 20, 2016

In order to be successful with your AMS selection, there are two key points to keep in mind:  No system can […]

Private Equity firm invests in ASI, makers of iMIS

July 14, 2016

The latest in a string of private equity investments in the AMS space was announced earlier this week, as Bregal […]

Focus on the fundamentals

June 30, 2016

I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating. Before you can go to advanced work like marketing segmentation and […]

Happiness = Reality divided by Expectations

June 29, 2016

I recently heard the author James Altucher make this statement, and a subsequent google search attributes it to the author Jodi […]

The Five Elements of Healthy Vendor Relationship (plus a bonus!)

June 27, 2016

I recently moderated a keynote presentation at ACGI’s Knowledge Days in Baltimore. The session, entitled “How to Keep a Healthy Marriage with […]

New Article Posted – It's time for your association to create a data records manager position

June 20, 2016

Several years ago, I suggested to a client of mine that they needed to add a new position to their […]

Rule of 100 and 1000 for ongoing data management

June 10, 2016

Many years ago I coined the Rule of 100 and 1,000, as it pertains to data conversions. (Click here to read […]

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