1. REGISTER
Even if you detest review sites, it's still worth opening a business owner account on Yelp, Citysearch, and any other website on which your customers are talking about you. Registering generally allows you to correct inaccuracies, receive alerts when you are reviewed, and respond to your critics.
2. BREATHE
Just because you can respond doesn't mean you should. Anything you say -- in a private message, a personal e-mail, or even a voice mail -- could end up on the Web. If there's no way to respond to a review without being angry, profane, or aggressive, don't do it at all.
3. BE GRACIOUS
Apologize for what the customer didn't like, and offer to make it right. When Lauren Hart, owner of the Root hair salon in Phoenix, received a two-star review from a woman who didn't like her haircut, she wrote, "I am so sorry that you are unhappy with my work," and then offered to pay for a cut at a competing salon. The woman wrote an equally gracious response and upgraded the Root to four stars.