Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

[ai_chat_window]

My most recent posts

Improvement is never linear

By Wes Trochlil | June 10, 2026

Improvement is never linear One of the many lessons one learns over a lifetime is that improvement, regardless of what you’re trying to improve, is never linear. That is, you’ll always have days where you’re better, and days where you don’t improve, or maybe even fall back. And so it is with data management. Even if you […]

Don’t forget to take a “before” picture!

By Wes Trochlil | June 3, 2026

Don’t forget to take a “before” picture! Whenever I start on a big home clean up or renovation project, I like to take a “before” picture, so that I can see the progress that was made when the project is complete. (Ironically, even though I’m the son of an award-winning amateur photographer, I often forget […]

Are you being penny wise and pound foolish?

By Wes Trochlil | May 27, 2026

Are you being penny wise and pound foolish? Two quick customer service stories to illustrate a point: First story: I’ve used the same email provider for more than 20 years. But for technical reasons, recently I needed to switch providers, so I canceled my service with them a few weeks in advance of my renewal. […]

AMS Products are getting better – and what that means for you

By Wes Trochlil | May 20, 2026

AMS Products are getting better – and what that means for you I’ve been working in and with AMS products for 36 years (27 years of consulting, nine years as an association staffer). And I can say with great confidence that the systems available today are much better than they were 36 years ago! (Shocking, I know.) But […]

Using AI beyond content generation

By Wes Trochlil | May 13, 2026

Using AI beyond content generation Recent surveys by ASAE and others suggest nearly 90% of associations are using AI for some type of content generation (e.g., creating blog posts, newsletter articles, “canned” responses to inquiries, etc.). That is great, but when it comes to data management, there are so many more opportunities for leveraging AI. Here are some ideas […]

Older Posts

Some additional thoughts on Personifest

April 16, 2015

Personifest wrapped up yesterday, and while I wasn’t able to attend all three days, I did get to see the […]

Don’t forget about the people

April 14, 2015

In my speeches, my writing, and my work with clients, I often talk about the three key elements of people, […]

Most important news from Personifest so far

April 13, 2015

Last night kicked off Personify’s rebranded annual users conference Personifest. Eric Thurston, Personify’s CEO, discussed several issues related to the […]

Simplify. Always.

April 9, 2015

When I work with my clients, one of my goals is always to simplify things as much as possible. (I’m […]

When do you use your rainy day fund?

April 8, 2015

Most well-managed associations  have an “operating reserve,” which is “rainy day” money set aside for unexpected cash flow emergencies. A […]

How do you eat an elephant?

April 6, 2015

One bite at a time. I’ve always loved this old joke, because it’s so applicable to any sizable project. And […]

Don't let the process slow you down from getting results

April 2, 2015

I’m a process consultant so I love process. But when you work on any project, it’s important to keep the […]

Additional benefits of selecting a new AMS

March 31, 2015

When I help my clients through the process of selecting  a new association management system, they also get the benefit […]

It's about ACTION

March 30, 2015

Long ago, I defined business intelligence as a business process using data to make decisions. The key to the definition […]

Scroll to Top