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

Very often, it's the nickels and dimes that matter

June 26, 2014

AMS vendors often point out that, when considering the selection of a new AMS, the association needs to look at […]

"It's like a loaded gun; very powerful and very dangerous."

June 24, 2014

That’s what one of the AMS vendors said to me when describing the flexibility of their system. Sure, it’s hyperbole, […]

New Article Posted – Developing a Cycle of Virtuous Data Management

June 23, 2014

In last month’s newsletter, I discussed the Cycle of Doom, which I see repeated too often at many associations. But there […]

New Video on Avoiding the Cycle of Doom

June 3, 2014

Personify interviewed me last week on my recent article, Improving User Adoption and Avoiding the Cycle of Doom. In the […]

Thoughts on the ASI Partners Conference

May 20, 2014

I had the opportunity recently to attend ASI’s iNNOVATION Conference in Florida. This conference is for ASI’s partners and re-sellers. […]

Inconsistent processes leads to inefficiencies (and errors!)

May 12, 2014

Standing in line in airport security last week, I noticed that half the people in line were taking their shoes […]

Sunlight is the best disinfectant

March 28, 2014

This phrase is often used in the political arena. It means that the best way to root out corruption is […]

Are you deluging your members with email?

March 27, 2014

Here’s Tony Rosell, one of the brilliant minds at Marketing General, in a tweet about how associations are using email: […]

The rise of the "Chief Data Officer"

March 25, 2014

Here’s an interesting article from IBM on the rise of the Chief Data Officer position within Fortune 500 companies. This […]

Scroll to Top