This is the title of our third quarter Unlocking Real Value newsletter. Given today’s economic, financial and political uncertainty, there isn’t a better time to focus on your client relationships and reinforce in their minds why they hired you in the first place. Let them hear from you, lest they focus on the negative press about JP Morgan, which has indirectly tarnished all of us who work in the industry.

Our newsletter focuses on two of our White Papers that can help you in this endeavor:

• Creating a Compelling Client Experience
• On-Line and On-Point: A Guide to Social Media Success

Click here to download the newsletter, or click on either of the links above to download a White Paper.

Take advantage of the usual summer lull to fine-tune your menu of offerings and your client servicing strategy. Make sure that you’re giving your clients what they want – or someone else will.

If you’re in the financial services industry and have or work with clients, you must proactively address the mess at JPM – lack of action will be detrimental to you and your business – guaranteed.

More on this in a minute. Last week was like a bad dream. And a recurring one at that. It makes you shake your head – over and over. The person leading the public fight against more regulation and Dodd-Frank, the bank that made it through the financial meltdown virtually unscathed, just gave its opponents the greatest gift imaginable. Politicians are salivating and the sound bites have been flying.

Among other things, it makes you wonder yet again whether bank CEOs really understand how the markets interact with the financial instruments that they have created. I have a lot of respect for Jamie Dimon – but this one is bad. Really bad.

Importantly, it affects every person in the industry, and not in a positive way. Frustrating is that we are all tainted, because in today’s political environment it’s easier to blame entire groups of people than to pinpoint the real culprits. “Main Street” never got over its hatred of “Wall Street,” and now people are once again asking “Is my money safe?”

If you haven’t already, you must communicate with your clients about what is going on at JPM – it’s not too late, but soon will be, because this controversy is not going away quickly.

My general advice is to 1) explain without defending what happened; 2) reassure that this in and of itself is not an event that will lead to another systematic meltdown; and 3) acknowledge that it has demonstrated weaknesses in the system and the need for some common sense reforms and/or regulations.

And specifically to you and your business 1) reiterate your stated or unstated code of ethics and commitment to client service; 2) remind how you demand and ensure complete transparency and accountability in your business; 3) emphasize how client assets are protected and safeguarded; and 4) make yourself available to answer questions and personally address any client concerns.

This too shall pass – but only if you stay in front of it.

This is the title of our latest White Paper, and the title assumes that you have a value proposition. Perhaps it’s better to ask: Do you know why clients choose to work with you over the competition? And if so, can you articulate this competitive advantage and use it as a tool to help you grow your business?

The White Paper will help you answer both questions by outlining what a value proposition is, why they are important, how to create one and how to utilize it in your marketing efforts. Click here to download the full piece.

To highlight, a strong value proposition will help you connect emotionally with people, and people are more likely to do business with people that they can relate to. It will also create a strong point of differentiation between you and the competition, will help you define your target market as a precursor to developing (or redeveloping) your asset gathering strategies and marketing plan, and can help you: