Also let them know upfront that you know what you're looking at. I take pictures and take them with me, find close-up shots on the Internet of eyes, ears, nose, mouth, neck detail etc. Then I show them all to the taxi and tell them what I want. This lets them know I know what I'm looking at and I have certain expectations.
From here you can gauge their reaction. If a taxi acts so busy that he can't spend 10 minutes talking to me about a mount, he's not going to spend the extra 10 minutes making sure something is perfect.
He may just see how picky you are and decided it's not worth it. That's fine. A good taxi wouldn't blink an eye at your request.
There are also two very different types of mounts. There are competition or show quality mounts. And there are more natural mounts. Look at it like a woman with and without makeup. I have one from a taxidermist just north of me who is now out of business due to a divorce. That buck would be at home on any competition show floor. He looks regal sitting up there on the wall. But you would be hard-pressed to find a deer that naturally pretty in the wild. He spent a lot of time with an airbrush around the eyes, nose, lips, ears, smoothing out the coat, clipping stray hairs poking up etc.
Then I have one from the taxidermist Rick and Ron uses. This deer is more natural. Denny did a fantastic job on every aspect. The deer looks just as he did when I picked up his head in the field for the first time.
I like both mounts. Both are done perfect for what they are. A dolled up runway model and your all natural woman.