educate them enough so that they can take advantage of what you bring to the table. If you just agree to everything they say and take the money, you're not doing your job and most likely you won't gain any respect from your client. In my experience, clients appreciate the fact that I'm opinionated and I can back up my decisions with the thinking that went into them. It does not mean that you shouldn't be flexible and should not listen to comments. Some clients have more difficulties than others with abstract stuff like site maps and wireframes, some others approve the creative brief without reading it even though you warned them it was a very important document and explained the implications... It doesn't mean they're stupid or don't respect you. They just have different priorities. As a designer, I believe it's part of my job to understand that and meet every unexpected legitimate requests as a new creative challenge. You don't always have complete control over all the variables though... and those won't work in all situations. By far the best advice in the whole post is to present your comps instead of throwing them at your clients without any explanation. I would recommend to try to get a 30 mn appointment with all key players to present your designs in person. If you sell your concept in person, you'll dramatically reduce chances for these kinds of client's comments. even though i am not that involved with WORK anymore,