Key points at a glance
- Define two or three target groups, such as doctors, hospitality, founders or e-commerce, and align your website, profile and content with them.
- Referrals from banks, lawyers and clients are the strongest channel, but without commission: § 84 WTBG 2017 in Austria, § 9 StBerG in Germany.
- Your Google profile and the official directories (KSW member directory, Steuerberaterverzeichnis) are the foundation for being found.
- Talks, newsletters and LinkedIn build trust; newsletters require consent.
- A website with clear target groups and minimum requirements filters out unsuitable enquiries before they cost you time.
This post is general information, not legal or tax advice for your individual case. Laws, professional guidelines and chamber fees change: check the details with your chamber, the relevant authority or your professional association before you make a decision.
Why the right engagements matter more than many
With staff in short supply, a firm's capacity is its most valuable asset. Every engagement ties up hours in bookkeeping, payroll and annual accounts, and unsuitable engagements tie up disproportionately many: because the industry is new, documents are chronically late or the fee doesn't cover the effort. If you deliberately win clients who suit the firm, you work more efficiently, can reuse knowledge and get recommended within your target group.
Winning clients therefore does not start with advertising but with a decision: who do you want to work for? Only then do you choose channels, and only then do you write the website.
Defining your target group and focus
Start by looking at your existing clients: which engagements are enjoyable, profitable and arrive with documents on time? Which industries do you and your team already know well? These answers usually point to two or three focus areas. Typical examples:
| Target group | Typical questions | What the focus page should show |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors and health professions | Setting up or taking over a practice, contracted or private practice, group practice | How a practice start-up works, typical deadlines, experience with health professions |
| Hospitality | Cash registers and their security requirements, tips, seasonal staff, payroll | How you take over till data, payroll for changing teams |
| Founders | Legal form, registering with the tax office, flat-rate taxation or small business scheme | A start-up package with a clear process and timetable |
| E-commerce and online retail | VAT on sales to other EU countries, marketplaces, payment providers | Experience with interfaces and automated receipt processing |
A focus is not a restriction but a promise. The dentist who reads on your website that you look after twenty practices and know the processes around chamber fees is more likely to call than a firm that serves “all industries”. Phrase focus areas factually and verifiably: “Focus on health professions” is unproblematic, “specialist” requires demonstrable knowledge and experience, expressly so in Germany under § 9(3) BOStB.
Referrals from banks, lawyers and clients
Most new engagements at tax advisory firms still come through referrals. Besides satisfied clients, other advisers are the most important channel: corporate relationship managers at banks, lawyers in company and inheritance law, notaries, management consultants, start-up centres, in Austria the WKO start-up service (Gründerservice), in Germany the IHK (chamber of commerce) and the chamber of crafts.
Professional law draws a clear line here: commissions for referring engagements are prohibited, in Austria under § 84 WTBG 2017, in Germany under § 9 StBerG. This applies in both directions. You pay the bank adviser nothing for founders sent your way, and you take nothing from the lawyer to whom you pass an inheritance matter. Rewards or vouchers for clients who recommend you are also ruled out. What is permitted and effective is anything that relies on quality.
How to get it right
- Regular professional exchange with banks, law firms and notaries
- Mutual recommendation because the quality is right
- A short page on your website that partners can link to, for example for founders
- Asking clients after a good annual review whether they would recommend you
Better avoid
- Commission or a “tipster bonus” for referred engagements
- A credit on the invoice for clients who bring someone along
- Passing on enquiries to colleagues in return for a share
- Portals that charge per referred engagement, without checking the terms carefully
More on building a referral network in the article Referrals for firms.
Google profile and directories
Even referred prospects google you before they call. Two entries should therefore be complete and up to date: your Google Business Profile and the official directory of your profession. In the Google profile, choose a suitable primary category such as “Tax consultant”, describe your focus areas in the description and under services, upload real photos and ask all clients equally for an honest review, without incentives. The article Google Business Profile for firms explains the details.
- Austria: All licensed professionals are listed in the KSW member directory. Check your address, website and contact details.
- Germany: The Steuerberaterverzeichnis (register of tax advisers) is kept by the Federal Chamber of Tax Advisers under § 86b StBerG; your Steuerberaterkammer supplies the data. In addition there are search services run by chambers and associations.
- Private directories and business listings are worthwhile where your target group searches. Make sure name, address and phone number are written identically everywhere.
Which directories are really worthwhile is compared in the article Online directories for firms.
Talks, newsletters and LinkedIn
If you show what you know, you need to claim less. Three channels suit tax advice particularly well because they convey factual information, exactly what professional law requires.
Talks and workshops
At the start-up centre, the medical association, the hospitality association or the university of applied sciences: a talk on the first twelve months after founding a business reaches exactly your target group. Offer the slides on your website afterwards.
Newsletter
A client newsletter with deadlines, changes and tips for your target groups keeps you in touch and generates referrals. Marketing emails require prior consent, in Austria also from businesses (§ 174 TKG 2021), in Germany under § 7 UWG. Use the double opt-in procedure.
LinkedIn
Short professional posts on topics relevant to your target group, insights into the team, announcements of talks. The partners' personal profiles usually reach more people than the firm's page. Confidentiality applies here too: no client stories without approval.
More on the individual channels: Newsletters for firms, LinkedIn for firms and Articles that get read.
What WTBG 2017 and StBerG allow
Tax advisers may advertise in both countries. The standards are similar, the legal bases differ.
| Topic | Austria | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Basic rule | No dedicated advertising section; conduct befitting the profession under §§ 71, 72 WTBG 2017 and WT-AARL 2017-KSW | Factual information, not aimed at an individual engagement (§ 57a StBerG, § 9 BOStB) |
| Commissions for referrals | Prohibited (§ 84 WTBG 2017) | Prohibited (§ 9 StBerG) |
| References and case studies | Only with release from confidentiality (§ 80 WTBG 2017) | Only with consent (§ 57 StBerG, § 203 StGB) |
| Marketing emails | Prior consent, also from businesses (§ 174 TKG 2021) | Prior express consent (§ 7 UWG) |
| Marketing calls | Only with prior consent | Businesses: presumed consent; consumers: express consent; never aimed at a specific individual engagement |
The details are in the guides Advertising for tax advisers in Austria and Advertising for tax advisers in Germany.
Saying no online: clear target groups on the website
Your website is the best filter you have. A firm that writes “We serve businesses of every size and industry” gets enquiries of every size and industry. A firm that clearly describes its target groups and way of working gets fewer but better-matched enquiries, and spares itself awkward refusals on the phone.
How your website filters without seeming dismissive
- Name your target groups on the home page: “We look after doctors, restaurants and founders in Salzburg.”
- State your way of working clearly: “We work digitally, receipts come in continuously via our portal.” A downloadable document checklist shows which receipts you need.
- Say honestly what you don't take on, such as one-off returns without ongoing support or certain industries
- Explain your fee model or give an order of magnitude where professional law allows it
- Ask for legal form, industry and matter in the contact form so you can judge before the meeting whether it fits
- Have a friendly note ready for enquiries outside your target groups, for example pointing to the KSW member directory or the Steuerberaterverzeichnis
How to build the website as a whole is described in the article The website for your tax advisory firm; how to be found in search by your target groups in SEO for tax advisers. How to win over clients who want to move from another firm is shown in Switching tax adviser: a page for clients who want to change.
A website that speaks to the right clients
Focus pages for your target groups, a clear path to the initial meeting and a legal notice in line with your professional law. Request a free preview of your firm's website.
A no-obligation preview of how your firm website could look with us.
Sources
- § 84 WTBG 2017 and other provisions, RIS
- KSW: Fundamentals of professional law (WT-AARL 2017-KSW)
- KSW: Member directory
- § 9 StBerG: remuneration for referring engagements
- § 57a StBerG: advertising
- § 86b StBerG: register of tax advisers
- § 174 TKG 2021: unsolicited communications, RIS
- § 7 UWG: unacceptable nuisance
- Bundessteuerberaterkammer – Berufsordnung (BOStB)
- Bundessteuerberaterkammer – Steuerberaterverzeichnis
