Episode 203 - Roanne Neuwirth on What Separates a Market Position from a Service List

In a market where everyone has smart people, strong credentials, and now access to the same AI tools, what is the actual differentiator and how do firms truly stand out?

On today's episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Alex Haidar is joined by Roanne Neuwirth, a B2B enterprise marketing leader and advisor whose career spans over two decades across law firms, global management consultancies, and boutique professional services firms. From Hale and Dorr to Boston Consulting Group, Farland Group, and Bates Communications (acquired by BTS), Roanne has spent her career working with leadership teams to define market position, build client relationships, and drive sustainable growth.

Roanne brings her unique outside-in perspective to challenge how legal and professional services marketers think about positioning, growth, and the role of AI. She makes the case that while technology levels the expertise playing field, genuine thought leadership and client feedback programmes are more important than ever in advancing marketing into the strategic force that truly differentiates.

Roanne and Alex discuss:

• What actually separates the firms that grow from the ones that stand still
• Why marketing should be at the table driving growth, not sitting behind it
• The difference between a market position and a service list, and why so few firms get it right
• Where firms are going wrong on AI, and what they should be asking instead
• Whether the bar for building authentic client relationships has been raised
• Her number one piece of advice for the next generation of professional services CMOs