Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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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

"Why do we need this position now?"

May 20, 2011

I was speaking to an association executive recently about the idea of adding a database manager to their staff (I […]

Compliance vs. Commitment

May 19, 2011

The difference between compliance and commitment is simple; compliance means one is doing something because they have to, for fear […]

Amazon continues to set the standard

May 17, 2011

I’ve owned a Kindle 3 since last October and have really enjoyed it. I don’t read it every day, but […]

New Article Posted – Get Lazy! Understanding Workflow Automation and Scheduled Tasks

May 17, 2011

I’ve posted a new article on my website. One of the reasons I’ve always been attracted to technology is because I’m […]

PayPal Pleasantly Surprises Me!

April 28, 2011

I recently had to process a refund through my PayPal account (first time ever!). The account I was refunding from […]

New Article Posted – "Why can't we just buy Access?"

April 18, 2011

I’ve posted a new article on my website. For any association staffer who has been through the process of trying to […]

Manage Expectations By Establishing Them Clearly

April 14, 2011

I ordered a hand exercise product online last week. It was from a website that I stumbled across, and the […]

Are your lousy systems affecting staff retention?

April 12, 2011

I was working with a client on the selection of a new data management system. In one of our early conversations, we talked about the “costs” involved with maintaining the current database. The usual costs came up: direct costs like…

The REAL Test of a Good Idea…

April 7, 2011

…is in its implementation. Growing up I had a good friend who was a bit, how should I say, reckless. […]

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