How to show an EU client an accessibility report and sell a pilot

To show an EU client an accessibility report and sell a pilot, first check whether their site falls under the EAA at all, then run a quick automated check of one key page and show three clear problems with screenshots. Speak carefully ("probably falls under", "this is not an audit") and offer one simple next step: a month of weekly monitoring with reports under the studio's brand at a reduced price. Below is a step-by-step playbook.

Step 1. Run the EAA filter before any conversation

A studio that scares a client with a law that does not apply to them quickly loses trust. So before the first message, check three things:

The number of employees is often visible on the "About us" page, in job listings or on the company's LinkedIn page. If there are fewer than ten employees, look up the published balance sheet in the national register. If in doubt, treat the result as "unclear" and do not mention the EAA in the first message. The filter is covered in detail in the article who the EAA applies to.

For sites that do not pass the filter, accessibility still makes sense, but as site quality: usability, conversion, the mobile version, older customers.

Step 2. Check one key page

Choose the page where a problem costs the business the most: checkout, a product page or a sign-up form. Use our free one-page check or the axe DevTools or WAVE browser extension.

From the results, pick three problems that a non-technical person will understand:

• the "Email" field in the checkout form has no label, so a screen reader does not announce it;
• the cart button is just an icon with no name;
• the price text on a light background does not have enough contrast.

Take screenshots. Three specific problems persuade better than an 80-line list.

Step 3. Write carefully and to the point

How do you show an EU client an accessibility report without making them feel pressured? Describe facts and consequences for customers, not accusations. Compare:

• Not like this: "Your site does not meet the law, you are facing a fine."
• Like this: "We ran an automated check of your checkout page and found three accessibility problems, here are the screenshots. A shop of your size probably falls under the EAA. This is a quick check of one page, not an audit."

Why so careful? A short automated check gives no grounds for legal conclusions. Besides, EAA enforcement today means checks by supervisory authorities, complaints and court cases; as of October 2026 we have not seen confirmed fines against online shops. The client can easily verify an exaggeration.

It helps to explain right away how enforcement works in the client's country: Germany, Poland, Czechia, Romania.

Step 4. Show what a regular report will look like

After the first conversation the client usually asks: "So what next?" This is where you need a report, not a table for a developer. A good report for a business owner has:

1. A summary on the first page: how many critical problems and the top three.
2. Explanations in business language: what it means for customers, not just the technical rule name.
3. Priorities: what to fix first.
4. Links to the standards: EN 301 549 clauses and WCAG.
5. Progress: a "before / after" chart week by week.
6. An honest note: "Automated check, not a full audit. Not legal advice."

The report must be in the client's language. It is hard to sell a German shop owner a document in English, or a Polish one a document in German. How such reports are put together is described on the how it works page.

Step 5. Offer a pilot, not an annual contract

A pilot lowers the risk for both sides. A typical format:

• What is included: a weekly automated check of the clients' sites, reports under the studio's brand in the client's language, an email when new errors appear after an update.
• How long it lasts: the first month.
• Price: a reduced price for the first month, then the regular plan. Current prices are on the pricing page.
• What the studio gets: a ready document for the client without developer hours, and a reason to sell the fixes as regular work.

It is good to include several sites in the pilot at once: that way the studio sees how much time it saves, and the clients see progress.

Step 6. One next step and an easy way to say no

Every message should end with one question: "Shall I send the full report for this page?" or "Shall we discuss a pilot for 15 minutes?". Add a simple "if this is not relevant, just let me know and I will not bother you again". One reminder after 4–5 days is the maximum.

How not to break the rules yourself

You sell meeting requirements, so your sales must be clean:

• Do not send bulk emails to companies in Germany and Poland. There, promotional email without prior consent is prohibited, including B2B (UWG §7(2) in Germany, Article 398 of the Electronic Communications Law in Poland).
• Write individually. Conversations with the studio's existing clients work best: you already have a contract and context.
• Do not promise what automation does not do. No "full conformance" or "protection from fines".

Handling objections

"We will run Lighthouse ourselves." You can. But Lighthouse checks one page and writes for a developer in English. The question is who will check all the sites every week, translate and explain it to the client.

"Automation does not find everything." True. That is why this is monitoring and a priority list, while a manual check or full audit is offered separately.

"We already have an accessibility widget." A widget does not fix the site's code. See why overlays do not work.

Answers to frequent questions

Where to start? With the EAA filter and a one-page check with three clear problems.

Can you tell a client straight away that they violate the EAA? No, a short automated check gives no grounds for that. Write "probably falls under".

What is a pilot? The first month of monitoring and reports under the studio's brand at a reduced price; prices are on the pricing page.

Can you send it by email? In Germany and Poland, not without prior consent. Work with existing clients and personal messages.

Ready to try it with your clients? See the offer for studios.

Sources

• Directive (EU) 2019/882, EUR-Lex
• UWG §7, gesetze-im-internet.de