Phase one of the internet - land grab, be first, own the space

Phase two - develop something that people use... new tech, social network, video download etc. etc.

Phase three - integrate.

Integration, integration, integration... everything works with everything - Facebook + Google + Wikipedia + Lastminute + Amazon + Youtube + Hotels + Google Maps + Picasa = internet 3.0

The old adage used to be that you were only 1 click away from the competition... now consumers expect a successful website to include all of their favourite services

is it just me being arrogant or is it true that sometimes the client is the weakest link in the chain? How many times have we presented design work that is bang on, or an advertising campaign that is edgy and delivers on the brief, only to have it rejected and then 6 months later realise we were right?

Perhaps the most delicate, nuanced, and difficult part of the design process is gaining buy-in. Anyone have any thoughts on how to achieve this?