Almost every practice has felt the economic downturn this year. You can't help but notice the empty slots in your surgery schedule, right? You can't help but notice the increase in no-shows and the dwindling revenues that were so easy to come by just 1 year ago.

Not all is lost, though. There is much you can do to help your practice stay afloat—and even succeed—during this tumultuous time.

Although the current "down" economy is not the end of the world, it has signaled the end of an era that saw many practices simply open their doors and watch patients file in, ready with fistfuls of dollars to pay for those high-priced procedures.

Success without marketing effort is becoming an anomaly and, even then, it probably isn't effortless. Today's world is much busier, faster, and crowded with limitless information and choices available to your aesthetic patients and prospective patients. They need more guidance than ever to choose you over all the other choices available.

Which aesthetic practitioners are likely to find the most success in 2009? Here's a hint: Those who maintain a great attitude will prosper. Those who stay open to the possibilities and opportunities will fare much better than those who do nothing and wait for things to get better.

The mantra in the coming months will be "Do something." Action is always rewarded over inaction. Just when the economy seems to be at its lowest and hopes are bottoming out is the time to regroup, strategize, and then execute.

However, before we jump into exactly what you should do in 2009, let's first discuss the fundamentals that must be in place.

More.

[Source: PSP]