Google reviews are crucial for small businesses as they are the first thing potential customers notice online, and negative reviews can be devastating. A different approach to responding to negative reviews is suggested by Stewart Guss, a personal injury lawyer with a 4.8-star rating on Google, which involves admitting fault and apologizing to the customer in a personal phone call or email. This approach focuses on the relationship with the customer rather than the review itself, and aims to turn around the negative review by addressing the underlying issue and showing empathy towards the customer's concerns. It's essential to think about why customers are leaving negative reviews, which is often because they want attention and public consequences for a business that has failed them. The goal is not to get the review taken down but to learn from it and improve the service provided to future customers.