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

See the man! – Speaking at NESAE

March 14, 2012

I’ll be speaking at the upcoming New England Society of Association Executives’ Technology Conference on Friday, March 30, 2012, in […]

Beware over-engineering

March 12, 2012

One of the greatest dangers of having access to the latest and greatest technology is over-engineering. That is, searching for […]

New Article Posted – Do They Know What You Offer?

March 5, 2012

I’ve posted a new article on my website. I recently received an email from a past client (and current colleague!) of […]

When training, provide context

February 15, 2012

One of the most important things you can do when training new users in a database is to provide context. […]

It requires discipline to succeed

February 13, 2012

I was sitting in a  meeting recently for an organization I do volunteer work with. The organization was explaining that […]

Interview with Bill Stover of YourMembership.com

February 8, 2012

This is the fifth in my 2012 series of podcast interviews that I’ve been conducting with CEOs from providers of association management […]

Job Listing in DC area (Reston, VA)

February 7, 2012

My colleague Jen Johnson at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is seeking to fill a senior manager position, overseeing customer service […]

Interview with Charlie Vinal of Euclid Technology

February 6, 2012

This is the fourth in my 2012 series of podcast interviews that I’ve been conducting with CEOs from providers of association management […]

Interview with Dmitry Buterin of Wild Apricot

February 3, 2012

This is the third in my 2012 series of podcast interviews that I’ve been conducting with CEOs from providers of association management […]

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