You just need to practice, practice, practice!
Actually, like Shane said, it depends on your rig. If I'm in a single tank rig with an AL80, the it's more of a gradual descent because I'm better weighted. If I'm in my doubles, the descent is faster because I'm a little heavy at the beginning of the dive.
The key to good buoyancy is perfect weighting. Make sure you are neutral for a safety stop at the end of your dive. That means you'll be about 3lbs heavy at the beginning. So the whole surface at eye level means surface above eye level at the beginning of the dive.
I typically go as fast as my ears allow and blast some air in the last 10'. This keeps me from plummetting into the bottom. The thing to remember is that buoyancy correction doesn't happen immediately. There is a lag time between action and response. If you're perfectly weighted, you shouldn't have to touch that inflator more than 3-4 times during the dive at the same depth. It's all in breath control.