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

They don’t care, until they care.

March 19, 2025

They don’t care, until they care. One of the more common questions I get from my clients is “How can […]

Longfellow and data management

March 12, 2025

Longfellow and data management “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing while others judge us by what […]

Do you really need all that historical data?

March 5, 2025

Do you really need all that historical data? A question I’ll often get from my clients as they’re making the […]

AI actually requires thinking

February 26, 2025

AI actually requires thinking “I don’t think AI introduces a new kind of thinking. It reveals what actually requires thinking.” […]

It’s not the mistakes, but how you respond

February 19, 2025

It’s not the mistakes, but how you respond Recently a client was complaining about a bug that had been introduced in the […]

The hidden costs of bad data

February 12, 2025

The hidden costs of bad data Nobody likes bad data, and presumably we’re all working tirelessly to minimize it. After […]

Don’t let your customers edit their names online!

February 5, 2025

Don’t let your customers edit their names online! This issue came up recently and I was surprised because I thought […]

Once is an accident, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern.

January 29, 2025

Once is an accident, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern. We’ve probably all heard this phrase: “Once is […]

“Every association does this.”

January 22, 2025

“Every association does this.” One of the most significant values I bring to my clients is perspective. Specifically the perspective […]

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