Among the practical advice found in his 52 tips and techniques:

• Banish data redundancy--and its ugly aftermath.
• Seek and destroy shadow databases.
• Test early. Test often.
• Pursue success, not perfection.
• Open the database--once and for all.
• Query your database. Use the answers to refine strategy.

It doesn't matter whether you're the CEO providing the vision of what will be important to your community in the future, and therefore what data should be captured, the chief technology officer with overall responsibility of your information management systems, or the marketing or membership director, both of whom would undoubtedly benefit by knowing as much about your members as possible, implementing the sound tips in Put Your Data to Work will help your organization operate more efficiently.

"As a CEO, I'm not involved in the nuts and bolts of managing our database, but data is one of our greatest assets. This book made it easy for me to understand how investing in good data practices strengthens the whole organization." - Mary Pat Paris, President and CEO
International Registration Plan, Inc.

Sample pages
Partial Table of Contents
Book Sample Page
Book Sample Page 2


More about Wes: For nearly 20 years, Wes has worked in and with dozens of associations and membership organizations throughout the US, ranging in size from three staff to over 700. In that time Wes has provided a range of consulting services, from general consulting on data management issues to full-scale, association-wide selection and implementation of association management systems.

Having written over 50 articles and hundreds of blog posts, Wes is the most published author on data management in the association market. In addition to his writing, Wes also speaks regularly to association audiences across the US and Canada on a wide variety of data management issues, from selecting and implementing an association managment system, to leveraging the data for better marketing and communication.

Among the practical advice found in his 52 tips and techniques:

• Banish data redundancy--and its ugly aftermath.
• Seek and destroy shadow databases.
• Test early. Test often.
• Pursue success, not perfection.
• Open the database--once and for all.
• Query your database. Use the answers to refine strategy.

It doesn't matter whether you're the CEO providing the vision of what will be important to your community in the future, and therefore what data should be captured, the chief technology officer with overall responsibility of your information management systems, or the marketing or membership director, both of whom would undoubtedly benefit by knowing as much about your members as possible, implementing the sound tips in Put Your Data to Work will help your organization operate more efficiently.

"As a CEO, I'm not involved in the nuts and bolts of managing our database, but data is one of our greatest assets. This book made it easy for me to understand how investing in good data practices strengthens the whole organization." - Mary Pat Paris, President and CEO
International Registration Plan, Inc.

Sample pages
Partial Table of Contents
Book Sample Page
Book Sample Page 2


More about Wes: For nearly 20 years, Wes has worked in and with dozens of associations and membership organizations throughout the US, ranging in size from three staff to over 700. In that time Wes has provided a range of consulting services, from general consulting on data management issues to full-scale, association-wide selection and implementation of association management systems.

Having written over 50 articles and hundreds of blog posts, Wes is the most published author on data management in the association market. In addition to his writing, Wes also speaks regularly to association audiences across the US and Canada on a wide variety of data management issues, from selecting and implementing an association managment system, to leveraging the data for better marketing and communication.

Is remote consulting right for you? Here are some scenarios appropriate for remote consulting:

• You have an existing data management system that works fine, but you would like some advice on how to improve its usefulness.
• You're looking at new data management systems and find the choices overwhelming. You would like some guidance on where to start but don't want a full-scale engagement.
• You're considering new software vendors and would like an objective third-party opinion about them from someone who has actually worked with them.

For a $750 (or $995) investment, you'll get up to one hour (cumulatively) of phone consulting, plus unlimited email exchange for up to five business days following the initial call. In addition, should you engage EDM for a larger project within 30 days of your remote consulting, your $750 (or $995) investment will be credited back to you.

"I want to thank you for your help in evaluating my database software research and providing other resources to check out. After a year of researching various software packages (there are so many out there!), your assistance made all the difference in moving ahead with a decision. We will be launching a new web site soon and I'm looking forward to all the new efficiencies. Thank you, again, for your time." Brenda DiDonato
New England Mail Order Association

"Wes's insight into the world of databases was a great help to this neophyte. His understanding of the breadth of resources and common sense approach was very helpful. His "Basic Remote Consulting" service was just what I needed to confirm information and gain direction." Scott Simmonds, CPCU, ARM, CMC
Independent Consultant

Is remote consulting right for you? Here are some scenarios appropriate for remote consulting:

• You have an existing data management system that works fine, but you would like some advice on how to improve its usefulness.
• You're looking at new data management systems and find the choices overwhelming. You would like some guidance on where to start but don't want a full-scale engagement.
• You're considering new software vendors and would like an objective third-party opinion about them from someone who has actually worked with them.

For a $750 (or $995) investment, you'll get up to one hour (cumulatively) of phone consulting, plus unlimited email exchange for up to five business days following the initial call. In addition, should you engage EDM for a larger project within 30 days of your remote consulting, your $750 (or $995) investment will be credited back to you.

"I want to thank you for your help in evaluating my database software research and providing other resources to check out. After a year of researching various software packages (there are so many out there!), your assistance made all the difference in moving ahead with a decision. We will be launching a new web site soon and I'm looking forward to all the new efficiencies. Thank you, again, for your time." Brenda DiDonato
New England Mail Order Association

"Wes's insight into the world of databases was a great help to this neophyte. His understanding of the breadth of resources and common sense approach was very helpful. His "Basic Remote Consulting" service was just what I needed to confirm information and gain direction." Scott Simmonds, CPCU, ARM, CMC
Independent Consultant

This RFP Shell has been used successfully dozens of times on behalf of Effective Database Management’s clients. Over the years, several vendors have said this is the most effective and thorough RFP they’ve ever received.

"The RFP Shell might be the best purchase we have ever made. We got over $500 worth of new ideas we would have never thought of otherwise." -- Kevin Ketchum, National Hardwood Lumber Association

"I love the shell. Things I never would have thought of are here. It's great, especially for me -- only three staff with the other staff inexperienced with AMS and lots of other "#1 priorities" to handle at the same time." -- Donna French Dunn, Association of YMCA Professionals

"Without the assistance of Wes' RFP Shell we would have been lost in regards to our search for a new AMS vendor. It was just a couple of days after receiving returned RFPs that we had an obvious answer for our association needs. Thank you, Wes, your RFP Shell really made the comparison/decision making process easy." -- Teri Carden, Florida Society of Association Executives

The EDM AMS RFP Shell comes complete with the following:

1. A complete RFP, in Word 2003, that you can modify. The RFP features over 40 pages with nearly 350 questions covering all aspects of association data management. Sections covered include:
   • General Database Management
   • Membership
   • Events
   • E-commerce
   • Committees
   • Finances
   • Contact Management (CRM)
   • Lists Sales
   • Certifications
2. Directions on how to create, distribute, and score the RFP.
3. An effective RFP cover letter
4. RFP usage license.
5. Subscriptions
6. Product Sales
7. Advertising
8. Exhibits
9. Awards
10. Government Relations
11. Chapters
12. Sales Management
13. Third-party Integrations

Only $995, a savings of over 20%!
RFP shell and One-hour of remote consulting.
This RFP Shell has been used successfully dozens of times on behalf of Effective Database Management’s clients. Over the years, several vendors have said this is the most effective and thorough RFP they’ve ever received.

"The RFP Shell might be the best purchase we have ever made. We got over $500 worth of new ideas we would have never thought of otherwise." -- Kevin Ketchum, National Hardwood Lumber Association

"I love the shell. Things I never would have thought of are here. It's great, especially for me -- only three staff with the other staff inexperienced with AMS and lots of other "#1 priorities" to handle at the same time." -- Donna French Dunn, Association of YMCA Professionals

"Without the assistance of Wes' RFP Shell we would have been lost in regards to our search for a new AMS vendor. It was just a couple of days after receiving returned RFPs that we had an obvious answer for our association needs. Thank you, Wes, your RFP Shell really made the comparison/decision making process easy." -- Teri Carden, Florida Society of Association Executives

The EDM AMS RFP Shell comes complete with the following:

1. A complete RFP, in Word 2003, that you can modify. The RFP features over 40 pages with nearly 350 questions covering all aspects of association data management. Sections covered include:
   • General Database Management
   • Membership
   • Events
   • E-commerce
   • Committees
   • Finances
   • Contact Management (CRM)
   • Lists Sales
   • Certifications
2. Directions on how to create, distribute, and score the RFP.
3. An effective RFP cover letter
4. RFP usage license.
5. Subscriptions
6. Product Sales
7. Advertising
8. Exhibits
9. Awards
10. Government Relations
11. Chapters
12. Sales Management
13. Third-party Integrations

It's a simple fact: most training is wasted. According to the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), US businesses spend more than $60 billion annually on training. And according to many experts, most of that training money is wasted (imagine, $30 or $40 BILLION wasted!), due to poor training techniques. This is where EDM can help!

The expense of wasted traninig reaches far beyond the direct expense of training dollars. You also have to calculate lost productivity (i.e., number of staff X number of hours in training X fully loaded hourly rate). And you have the incalcuable cost of ill-will created between the staff and your trainers and the database itself.

Whether you're spending $500 or $5,000 on training this year, you need to be sure your training is effective. Whether you're conducting the training yourself, or using a third-party to do the training, this session will help you understand what has to happen to make training effective and ensure that staff time is not wasted.

To make your database most effective, you have to be sure staff is trained properly in its use. In this one hour session, Wes will share with you dozens of tips gleaned from nearly 20 years of his experience conducting training programs for dozens of his clients.

This program will show you how to make your database training more effective, thus making your staff more effective.

In this session you'll learn:

1. The ten fundamentals of training (hint: If you don't follow these fundamentals, your training will not be successful).
2. Tips on how adult learners learn best (remember, you're training adults, not school children).
3. How to ensure the greatest level of retention for learners.
4. Why day-long training sessions are a waste of time and money.
   How to "train" senior management.
5. And much more.

To purchase the recording for this event, click the buy now button below.

Buy the mp3 recording: Only $49.00

More about Wes: For nearly 20 years, Wes has worked in and with dozens of associations and membership organizations throughout the US, ranging in size from three staff to over 700. In that time Wes has provided a range of consulting services, from general consulting on data management issues to full-scale, association-wide selection and implementation of association management systems.

Having written over 50 articles and hundreds of blog posts, Wes is the most published author on data management in the association market. In addition to his writing, Wes also speaks regularly to association audiences across the US and Canada on a wide variety of data management issues, from selecting and implementing an association managment system, to leveraging the data for better marketing and communication.

Click below to listen to a sound clip from this program.

Understanding the Potential (and Pitfalls) of Integrating CMS and AMS Systems Play Now | Play in Popup

How should the two be integrated to get the most benefit from both systems? Listen to two of the association world‘s leading technology advisors, Wes Trochlil and David Gammel, in an interactive workshop that explores these issues in depth.

By listening to this recording, you will:

Determine if your organization should bother with integrating your CMS and AMS;
• Learn the value of single sign-on for web sites;
• Identify the most critical AMS data to integrate with your site;
• See how other associations have successfully implemented AMS/CMS integrations;
• Evaluate whether web site personalization makes sense for your organization.

Who should listen to this valuable content?

Executives who are responsible for their association‘s web site and/or member database
Chief executives who want to make sure they ask the right questions before signing off on large technology investments.
Here's what some of the attendees thought about the seminar:

“If you think you understand all the issues related to integrating your web content and association management systems, think again. As BoardSource launches a new website and embarks on its search for a new AMS, I was worried I didn‘t know everything I needed to know. This program confirmed that, and helped provide a framework for approaching the issue of integrating our AMS with a content management system. I found it very useful.” --Angela Sakell,
Vice President Marketing and Sales BoardSource

”I really appreciated the clear definitions of AMS and CMS systems, and their common integration scenarios. I hadn’t thought of these in the way that you graphed. This session provided a clear picture and definition of a CMS with publishing, workflow, and formatting types of functions. These definitions mean I can put some more meat on the functional specs bones of my CMS needs document. The pace and time for the session was just right.“ -- Liebe Nigro VP, Information Services
National Association of Chain Drug Stores

You will receive instructions on how to download a zipped file of the audio and slides. The audio is recorded as a 90 minute MP3, which is suitable for listening on your iPod or other digital audio device!

All purchases are non-refundable.