Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Why bother with a consultant when I have AI?

By Wes Trochlil | October 14, 2026

Why bother with a consultant when I have AI? As AI becomes increasingly powerful, the value of using an AMS selection consultant (and many other types of consultants!) starts to come into question. After all, with very well-constructed prompts and responses, an association could develop a very solid needs analysis and RFP that could be used to […]

Guardrails can be helpful!

By Wes Trochlil | October 7, 2026

Guardrails can be helpful! When selecting a new AMS, I find my clients are often very tempted by custom software or “platform” systems (e.g., built on Salesforce or MS Dynamics) because these systems are infinitely configurable. After all, if I can make the system do anything I want, that’s a good thing, right? Well, maybe. In […]

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?”

By Wes Trochlil | September 30, 2026

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?” I had a conversation with a client recently about developing KPIs, reports, and queries from their forthcoming data warehouse. My client said: “We have a ton of requests for KPIs and reports. How do we determine which to focus on first?” My response: “When someone requests a dashboard […]

Showing is not teaching

By Wes Trochlil | September 23, 2026

Showing is not teaching In my experience, when new staff members are taught how to use their AMS (or LMS, CMS, FMS, etc.) they aren’t really taught how to use the system, they are shown how to use it. So what’s the difference? In a nutshell, showing only covers the “how” and “what.” But teaching […]

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 […]

Older Posts

Everything takes longer than you think it will (especially hiring!)

February 11, 2013

I am, admittedly, an incredibly impatient person. It’s one of the reasons I LOVE the internet; instant gratification. I can […]

Why transactional databases don't make good data warehouses

February 8, 2013

Very often I’m asked by my clients: “Why can’t I get a report out of my database comparing year-to-year data […]

Either you'll test it, or your customers will

February 6, 2013

During the implementation phase of a new association management system, one of the most critical phases is the testing phase. […]

How NOT to apologize…

February 5, 2013

We all make mistakes in our work. As the old saying goes, it’s not the mistakes you make, it’s how […]

Did you expect them to just KNOW how to do it?

February 4, 2013

I was once on a tour of a plant where conveyor belts were being manufactured. I noticed that one of […]

All choices involve trade-offs

February 1, 2013

The economist and political writer Thomas Sowell once wrote: “There are no solutions, only trade-offs.” What Sowell means, of course, […]

Update on YourMembership and Affiniscape

January 25, 2013

I reported recently on the merger of YourMembership and Affiniscape. The new company name is YourMembership, and not surprisingly, YourMembership has […]

TWO New Articles Posted

January 24, 2013

I’ve posted two new articles on my website. The first is Your “Marriage” with your AMS Vendor, which outlines how your […]

Are you (really) thanking your donors?

January 23, 2013

At the end of this past year I made donations to four charitable organizations. While the donations were not the […]

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