In last week’s column I suggested some tactics that you could use to generate more reviews for your business, and this week we’re going to talk about the reality that not everyone is going to be a fan.

It’s highly unlikely that you are going to get perfect marks from your customers. Some may have legitimately had a bad experience, and others may be of the belief that no one is perfect so they never give anyone a five-star rating. Soliciting reviews is the best way to balance the naysayers, but there are other things you can do to mitigate the damage caused by a bad review.

The hardest and most crucial reaction you can have to a less than complimentary review is to learn from it. Was the reviewer right? Could you or your team have been better? Was there something about your product or service that can be improved? 

There are certainly trolls who like to find fault with everything they buy or experience, but most people are offering their honest assessment. Don’t be so offended or hurt by the review that you can’t learn something from it.

When a bad review comes in, the first thing you need to do is assess the validity of it. There are a lot of fraudulent reviews out there. Sometimes it’s a bot, sometimes it’s a disgruntled employee or former employee, sometimes it’s a competitor, and sometimes it’s just someone who has a bee in their bonnet about you or your business.

Check your records. Was this person actually a customer? Did they really buy what they are reviewing? If it appears to be fraudulent, you want to flag or report it so that the review site can deal with it. Each review site has a different procedure for this, so follow their instructions.

You need to respond to every review, even the fake ones. This is your opportunity to demonstrate that you care about your customers’ opinions and experiences. This is your way of showing how you respond when something goes wrong, and it’s your chance to correct any misperceptions.

Even if the review is fraudulent and you’ve flagged it, it might not get reviewed, so always respond. When responding, address the complaint directly and apologize that you didn’t meet their expectations. You also want to state that you can’t find them in your customer records and offer to address their concerns offline. Give them a phone number or email address.

If the review is legitimate and they were unhappy, you would start out the same way by acknowledging that they had a less than ideal experience with your brand. Own whatever went wrong, even if parts of their review are inaccurate. Remember, perception is reality. Never make excuses.

You always want to offer to make things right. Maybe it’s a refund or discount. But don’t just apologize and call it quits. Your other goal is to move the conversation offline as quickly as possible. Again, offer up a phone number or email address and ask them to contact you. If you happen to have their contact information, you might just state that you are going to reach out to them. But then you must actually do it.

Reviews and ratings are just part of owning a business today, and there’s no way around it. By soliciting more reviews from your best and happiest clients and proactively responding to all of your reviews (good and bad), you can make this new reality a part of your marketing strategy that helps you improve your customer experience and attract prospects that you can quickly turn into raving fans.

Ratings and reviews aren’t something to fear. But they are something to manage.