It’s all relative…

It's all relative...

Over the course of my 22 years of consulting, I've consulted with well over 250 associations. And in that same time, I've probably spoken with an additional 1,000 or more. And one thing that still makes me chuckle is when someone says something along the lines of "We're a small association" or "We have a small budget" or "We can't afford anything too expensive."

And the reason I chuckle is that all of these things are relative. I've had associations with 50 staff say they are a "small association" (trying telling an association of four staff that that is "small") and I've had clients tell me that their "small budget" was "only" $200,000.

So my point is very simple: When describing your organization, your budget, or your project, don't use general terms like "small" or "large." Be specific. Because what's "large" or "small" to you may mean just the opposite to the person you're talking with.

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Don’t forget, your staff have day jobs…

February 18, 2026

Don’t forget, your staff have day jobs… The vast majority of my work is finite […]

Beware the automated “How did we do?” trap!

February 11, 2026

Beware the automated “How did we do?” trap! One of the downsides of technology is […]

Hindsight is 20/20

February 4, 2026

Hindsight is 20/20 I’m currently working with a client that is moving from their legacy […]

Cheaper now; costlier later.

January 28, 2026

Cheaper now; costlier later. Most of my clients are very cost-conscious, understandably. After all, who […]

The unified shopping cart: Dreams vs. reality

January 21, 2026

The unified shopping cart: Dreams vs. reality One of the more common requests I hear […]

Don’t forget to celebrate!

January 14, 2026

Don’t forget to celebrate! Truth be told, I’m not a big celebrator. (Maybe it’s because […]

Three thoughts on duplicate records

January 7, 2026

Three thoughts on duplicate records Duplicate records are a reality in any database of any size, […]

Please don’t do this…

December 17, 2025

Please don’t do this… I’ve noticed a trend among online retailers that I want to […]

AI is perpetually patient

December 10, 2025

AI is perpetually patient My friend and colleague Noel Shatananda of fusionSpan was providing me some […]

User adoption is (almost) all that matters…

December 3, 2025

User adoption is (almost) all that matters… I was speaking with an association recently about their […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top