← Mapbox
Mapbox role-play cheat sheet
For the mock cold call at the end of most SDR interviews.
What they sell, in one line
Mapping, location search and turn-by-turn navigation APIs and SDKs that developers build into their apps.
Who you'd be calling
Engineering leaders, product managers and heads of mobility or maps at app companies (delivery, travel, real estate, logistics, automotive).
Your opener
“Hi, this is Sam from Mapbox. I know I'm calling out of the blue. I work with teams building apps with maps and navigation in them, and I wanted to ask how you handle location features in yours today?”
Problems you solve for them
- Building maps and navigation in-house is slow and expensive
- Generic maps look and feel the same, hard to brand or customize
- Location search and routing need to be accurate and fast at scale
Discovery questions to ask
- How are you handling maps, search or routing in your app today?
- What would you change about it if you could, like cost, look and feel, or accuracy?
- Who decides on tools like this, you or a separate engineering team?
Objections they'll throw at you
“I'm really busy right now.”
→ Totally fair, I'll be quick. Can I ask one question about how you handle maps in your app, and if it's not relevant I'll let you go?
“We're not interested.”
→ No problem, most people I call aren't looking until something breaks. Out of curiosity, is location a big part of your product, or not really?
“We already use Google Maps.”
→ Good, that means maps matter to you. Many teams I talk to like having more control over the map design and pricing, is that something you've run into?
“Just send me an email.”
→ Happy to. So I send something useful, what part of your app uses maps or location the most?
Competitors worth knowing
Google Maps Platform, HERE Technologies, TomTom
Interview tips for this company
- Know Mapbox is developer-first: the buyer is often an engineer, so keep your language simple and curious, not technical.
- Try the free tier or look at a demo map before your interview so you can name a real feature.
Written from public information about Mapbox to help you practice. Ask an insider what their role play looked like; it's the best prep there is.