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

FREE Training Audio Recording

June 9, 2016

I while back I recorded a webinar on database training called “Don’t Waste Another Dollar On Training: How To Ensure Your Training […]

Take snapshots of your membership data for historical review

June 8, 2016

One of the more common requests I hear from my clients is that they’d like to be able to compare […]

Are you using "secret shoppers"? You should.

June 7, 2016

Every time I call my haircut place to make an appointment, I have the same experience. The person taking the […]

Distinguish between "can't" and "don't"

June 3, 2016

I often hear from my clients something along these lines: “We’d like that data but we don’t have it.” I […]

My interview with Aptify

May 23, 2016

On a range of database management issues. You can read it all here: http://bit.ly/1sMrmN0

New Article Posted – The Cycle of Doom vs. the Cycle of Virtue

May 19, 2016

It is said that if an organization is not growing, it is dying. In other words, there is no such […]

Things change during a project

May 2, 2016

When I work with my clients on implementing a new software system, one of the first things I tell them […]

Effective vs. efficient

April 29, 2016

Often my clients will tell me they want to be more efficient with how they manage data. And that’s important. […]

Sometimes it's really NOT the software that is the problem

April 27, 2016

I once met with a potential client who was seeking a new database. In a conversation with the executive director, she […]

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