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

Focus on User Experience Demonstrates Maturity of Industry

March 10, 2016

I had the opportunity to attend the Abila Users and Developers Conference (AUDC) last week in Austin. During the roadmap […]

Vendors: Provide free training for new employees!

February 24, 2016

I was sitting in a demo with a client last week and the vendor providing the demo said “We provide four […]

New Article Posted – Should You Use an Implementation Partner?

February 22, 2016

There are well over 50 companies that provide AMS products to the association market. They range from products designed for […]

What's with the surcharge?

February 19, 2016

Back in 2012, gas prices in northern Virginia (where I live) pushed to $4 a gallon and higher. As a […]

Just because you can doesn't mean you should

February 16, 2016

One of the great things about the latest generation of AMS products is their incredible flexibility. They’ll allow you to […]

How do you respond when someone contacts you via your website?

February 4, 2016

In the past week, on behalf of a client, I’ve had to contact three different software vendors. In all three cases, […]

Be sure to check out the new Learning – Technology – Design Conference

February 3, 2016

Tagoras Consulting is presenting their first-ever Learning • Technology • Design™ (LTD) conference on May 18 and 19, 2016, in […]

Take snapshots of data

January 29, 2016

One of the most common requests I hear from my clients is the ability to compare year-over-year statistics on things […]

Beware self-inflicted data management issues

January 28, 2016

Managing data is difficult. It takes time. It can be tedious. And it’s a never-ending task. So it’s very important […]

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