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

New Article Posted – When Using Third-Party Systems, Don’t Leave Valuable Data Behind

December 4, 2012

I’ve posted a new article on my website. While most of my clients use centralized association management software (AMS) systems, which […]

New Article Posted – Why Associations Struggle with Business Intelligence

December 3, 2012

I’ve posted a new article on my website.   For over five years, I have been writing about the benefits of […]

Are you asking your customers (or members)?

November 6, 2012

I recently received the monthly newsletter from Matrix Group, one of the many  vendors on my list of AMS vendors. […]

Do You REALLY Know What Visitors Think of Your Website?

October 22, 2012

My friend and colleague Ray van Hilst at Vanguard Technology is conducting an association benchmarking survey about website redesign. Ray […]

Coming soon – iMIS 20

October 9, 2012

I had the opportunity to get a sneak-peak at iMIS 20, which ASI is releasing on December 6, 2012, at […]

Technology philosophy #7 – Have a disaster recovery plan

September 25, 2012

This one isn’t so much a philosophy as just a sensible business practice. You MUST have some type of disaster […]

See the 5 Realities of AMS Implementations Interview

September 24, 2012

Bryan Kelly of Association Mavens interviewed me last week on the Five Realities of an AMS Implementation. You can watch […]

Technology philosophy #6 – Everything comes with a tradeoff

September 24, 2012

This is somewhat related to philosophy #5, in that no matter what decision you make about technology (or any other […]

Technology philosophy #5 – Just because it’s free doesn’t mean it has no cost

September 21, 2012

The internet is awash in free software. I love it, of course. So much software, so little time! But just […]

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