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

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. […]

Why "Finance" People are Difficult (and Sometimes Should Be)

April 5, 2011

I started work with a new client last week, and while talking to my contact about the staff I would be interviewing, my contact said: “Sally is our finance director.

Reports vs. Queries – What's the difference?

April 4, 2011

I’m always struck by the confusion that these two terms can create. This becomes most evident during software demos, when vendors are presenting their software to my clients. Clients will ask about…

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