I’ve always loved the phrase “low-hanging fruit.” It creates such a great visual in my mind, the idea that I can easily get what I want by just reaching up and grabbing it. The idea, of course, is that when starting off a new project, look for some simple “wins” that will propel the project […]
I was working with a client recently and the issue of webinars came up in the conversation. The association represents a medical speciality and presents monthly webinars on different topics important to their members. When I asked how many people register for the webinars, their response was “Anywhere from 50 to 200.” When I asked how many
One of my favorite comic strips was “Life in Hell” and one of my favorite strips from that series was this one: Image © Matt Groening When I work with clients on a system implementation, I often start with the following caveat: “Understand that we will make decisions with the best information we have available
My brother runs a business cleaning business in Minneapolis. We were discussing a business process issue (unrelated to cleaning OR databases) and how one should find a solution to a problem. He told me, “I always tell my cleaners, ‘Think like a lazy person but don’t act like a lazy person.’” In other words, find the simplest way
"Think like a lazy person but don't act like a lazy person." Read More »
I had the opportunity to see a short demo of the new trade show planning service from eventr.io (www.eventr.io). This is a service free to trade show planners that brings together all the service providers for a given show to one site, so that show exhibitors can easily take care of all the logistics
An interesting new service for trade show planners Read More »
I attended a luncheon hosted by Tagoras a couple months ago, and one of my takeaways was this thought: “Learning is a process, not an event.” Simple thought, but very profound. It is rare that one learns something and then is finished learning about that thing. For example, I’m a guitarist of average ability, but
There’s still time to participate in my industry-first benchmarking study of association data management practices. You can participate here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EDMBMSURVEY
Most well-managed associations have an “operating reserve,” which is “rainy day” money set aside for unexpected cash flow emergencies. A common target is three to six months of operating expenses. The idea is that if revenue completely stopped coming into the association, you would still have at least three to six months of cash to
When discussing how much access staff users should have to the database and its functionality, I always tell my client “Give them the absolute minimum they need to do their job.” My clients will often respond with “Let’s just give users access to everything and then over time we can determine what functionality they don’t
One of the most important skills I’ve learned in my 15 years as a consultant is the ability to listen. And one of the best ways to ensure that you are listening is simply this: when you’re in a conversation where you’re trying to learn something, let the other person finish their thought before you