Testimonials
WBZTV.com: "Mechanics Learn Nuances Of Hybrids In Leominster"
Worcester Telegram & Gazette: Mechanic jump-starts hybrid training
Amy Mattinat and Chip Tremper co-owners of Auto Craftsmen being pro-active about the current economy did the leg work to get stimulus money from the government to host a class at their shop having Craig train Independent shop owners throught Vermont to repair hybrid vehicles.
WETF Training Projects Approved 1st Quarter FY 2010
July 1, 2009 – September 30, 2009
Auto Craftsmen LTD. of Montpelier was awarded $4,725 to coordinate delivery of an eight hour training course in maintenance and repair of hybrid vehicles. Trainees will include up to twenty master technicians employed by independent auto repair shops in greater central Vermont . Training will be delivered on site at Auto Craftsmen, by Craig Van Batenburg, a leading expert in hybrid technology and founder of the Automotive Career Development Center in Worcester , MA . Training is intended to improve job security by expanding the services provided by independent shops to include the growing market of hybrid automobiles.
Hello Craig,
I recently attended your Hybrid Essential Class at Manheim New England Part 1 and 2. It was a great learning experience and the I am sure I will put what I have learned to good use at the auction. Your presentation of hybrid knowledge was by far the best and easiest learning experience I have had in the automotive field. I want to thank you for coming to Manheim. I learned alot!
Brian P. Pacheco
November 19, 2009
Hi Craig,
I was so suprised with how much Hybrid knowledge that I learned in such a small amount of time with you. I have to say you are one of a kind teacher and a good one at that. Also you made it fun to be there.
Thank you
Sincerely
Glenn Goslin
November 15, 2009
Hi Craig:
Thanks very much for a very educational as well as entertaining hybrid intro class last thurs at Manheim Auto Auction. For me, you presented a technical subject in a manner that was easy to relate to and comprehend in my auctioneer mind.
All the best.
Paul " Hollywood " Erickson
Worcester, MA
Keep on truckin'
October 18, 2009
Hi Craig,
I was in your class in Montpelier Vt. at Autocraftsman. We had the discussion about 4 quarts of oil in a Prius. This last week I had one of my regulars in and opened up the throttle plate to check for oil. You win 4 quarts is to much. It had oil in the intake. 3.7 quarts ftom now on. Thanks for the tip and alot of good information.
Cam Wrisley
June 11, 2009
Hi Craig:
Just a short note to say how much I ENJOYED the Hybrid Graduate
class.. I found it EXTREMELY INTERESTING
AND CAPTIVATING!!! I always ENJOY
AND LOOK FORWARD to your classes. I ALWAYS learn alot and I REALLY get into
( if that is the correct phrase) our discussions and the trading of
information and ideas. Even if it is not Hybrid related. I can
honestly say that I feel that you are a wise and knowledgable man in many respects. I am PROUD to consider you both my
FRIEND and TEACHER!!
I also want to THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH FOR THE GIFTS!!! I am
wearing the Denso hat with pride as we speak.
I also REALLY appreciate the
book/technical manual that you gave me. I found it very FACT FILLED and
INFORMATIVE!!
But most of all I want to THANK YOU IN THE UPMOST WAY for your
allowing me to assist you in teaching/training the other
students/technicians. It REALLY MADE MY DAY AND WEEK!! I actually found it a
very REWARDING function. I am HONOURED
that you thought that I was up to the standards of being an assistant. I tried to model my behaviour/methods on yours and relate to the technicians. I hope that I performed the function satisfactorily. The questions that I was asked were very intelligent and made me think
of a thorogh answer. Your RESPECT and CONFIDENCE in me really
gave me a boost. And I definately needed it. I am seriously
thinking/planning in the future ( I'm not sure when due to this economy and
being able to take off for a time) to attend your
Up Your Voltage class and
look to persuing it a bit further as an assistant instructor for your
course/company.
Again let me EXPRESS MY SUPREME GRADITUDE for all you did for
me at the course. If I can EVER be of ANY assistance
(even helping unload/load your vehicle) please do not hestitate to ask. I hope that everyone is fine there and as I wrote to Deb in my
e - mail Please give my
congradulations to your son on his Graduation.
Look forward to hearing from you soon and getting together the
next time you are in the area. Please keep me posted on any
and all
events/info via your newsletter or an e - mail to me.
Take care and give my best to everyone.
Best Regards.
Dave "Harley" Daresi.
November 5, 2007
Hi Craig & Deb,
I just wanted to say thank you for a job well done. I really appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge and experiences with others in the collision repair industry. I had one attendee that stopped me in the hall to tell me how wonderful your session was. She was only able to attend one of the sessions, but said it was absolutely fabulous. She said the two of you had great chemistry together and that you made a real impact on her.
I wish I could have sat through your sessions. It was a pleasure to meet both of you!
Many thanks,
Teresa Raney
Conference Manager
NACE - International Autobody Congress & Exposition
Ed. Note: This must be the one :)
Dear Craig & Deb,
What can I say to you that you haven't already heard. You two are awesome. I enjoyed your class on stress management at NACE so much that I haven't quit talking about it. Just hoping I can apply what I learned the way that I should. I truly believe this was the best class I took at NACE. I was so thrilled with your presentation that I was telling everyone. I only regret I didn't get in another class from you two. Thanks for all the great information and for fitting so many resources in to 90 minutes.
Tona Haywood
Gautier's Auto Body & Glas, Inc
Dahlgren, Va. 22448
November 2007
Craig has been a great help to me in getting my hybrid business off the ground. I want to thank him especially for the help with the procedure for checking and repairing a 2002 prius battery. I was able to confirm the dealer diagnosis of a bad battery in a prius. Together, although 2500 miles apart, we communicated via email and phone to completely tear down, check out, and get a good used battery in my customer’s car. Needless to say, she is a happy camper. This is something I could not have done without Craig’s help. He unselfishly walked me through the whole thing and I greatly appreciate it. I am also looking forward to purchasing more training material from Craig and hoping to attend his classes in Mass. someday.
Thanks Craig !!
Scott Redfern
Shop Owner
AZ
Here is what few had to say about our FIRST "UP YOUR VOLTAGE" CLASS:
What a great experience
From the beginning to the end Craig went all out to make this event absolutely spectacular.
Craig and His wife Deb , did an superb job with food
,accommodation and transportation. Every event traveling to
and from locations made sure that all participants had to
drive different Hybrid vehicles. I'm not sure those that
drove with me were so happy :}.I drove more Hybrids than
I'd ever driven before , Prius early and late, Honda
insight stick shift and Highlander Now this is nice if they
bring this to Australia I'll have to have one].
All participants and trainers who were flying in were picked
up and delivered to and from the Airports. Craig was
absolutely amazing. My flight from Sydney to San fran was
late , I missed my connection to Washington and then to
Manchester , but managed to get a flight to Boston. Craig
came to fetch me from the airport at midnight in Boston to
take me back to his place for the night what was left of
it]. Thank you that was the most amazing thing to do.
The trainers were just great , each bring their own unique
perspective and expertise to make the whole experience so
much more enjoyable and valuable. A special thank you to
Dave for making a learning experience so much more by
making it spiritual as well.
The class showed a whole lotta class. The look on Jacques
face when he was working away getting his hands 'dirty' was
just great. It was hard to tell who was having more fun this
weekend Jacques or David I met and shared a room with an
amazing man Rusty Flake .
I also have a whole bunch of new friends like Lee 'beaver'
Boucher , who shared something really special.
Well done Craig this event was spectacular.
Gil Sher
Gil-Auto Maintenance \ Abes safer brakes
Sydney NSW, Australia
Greetings from Canada!
It is Tuesday evening and after driving a total of approximately 2300 kms (1400 miles), a total driving time of about 19 hours round trip, we are home. It was definitely worth all of it.
The course and hospitality and facility and instructors were all top notch! I came away learning much more than I had expected. I feel now that after the hands on training I experienced along with the theory I learned, I can handle any Hybrid that comes in the door. The fear is gone. I know what to expect and what to respect. Thank you all so much!
A special thanks to Deb for attending to my wife Annette. You are a special person to enjoy time with and you also somehow are able to find the time to look after the "behind the scenes" necessities. I have never been so well fed at a training course. Thank you.
George and Annette Stuyt
Hi Craig,
I wanted to keep Vinces book and asked Deb to put it on the cc you guys used when I paid for the class. She asked that I email you guys to remind her.
This (Up Your Voltage III) was by far the best training I have ever received. I've been to many training seminars over the years ranging from the mundane to the highly advanced and I can honestly say that your program far exceeds the standard of training out there as well as my own expectations of what training should be. The trainers were great and the facility was outstanding. Thank you again for putting together a well prepared and well executed training seminar. I'm looking forward to attending more of your training seminars when you are in my area.
Tom Palermo
Preferred Automotive
PS. Deb did a wonderful job with everything she did so if you would please extend my thanks to her as well I'd appreciate it.
Dear Craig:
I hope this note finds you well and back home safe. I hope you remember talking with me and my business partner at the Vision conference. I have a couple of interesting follow up notes for you.
First, my son's 6th grade physical science class was covering electricity. I used your "Army man" theory to assist the teacher with instruction, purchased some multimeters and donated so we could run some labs and had great success. I think you are on a winner. I still have my army man on my desk to remind me to think about things differently.
Second, I really enjoyed your section on Hybrids. I was somewhat skeptical about them, mainly from a lack of education but after listening and then some follow-up research on my on I found that I was seriously interested. I was not in the market for a car as my husbands was scheduled for replacement in two years and mine in 3 to four when my husband decided to try and stuff his Dodge Intrepid up some guys tail pipe. It did not work and he managed to total the car and there I was in the market for the ever elusive hybrid. Taking a gamble on Sat - I stopped at the local Toyota dealer to see if they had one and test drive it just to see what it was like. The had gotten in a 2005 Prius the day before, we drove it and bought it. I am really excited as he commutes 80 miles (round trip) a day into Atlanta.
So you have two victories - A hybrid cynic is now a hybrid owner and even I can teach electric theory.
Have a great day
Michelle Cannon
CFO
C & R Fleet Services, Inc
Craig,
I just wanted to send a quick thanks for the classes you presented at Vision 2005 in KC. I am a new instructor and have been enlightened about the amount of work that even the smallest presentation requires. So I know how much effort went into your class, and just wanted to let you know I appreciate your effort!
Maybe see you at C.A.R.S. or Vision next year. I'm off to buy some army men!
Sincerely,
Tim Dwyer
Pro-Tech Instructor
Oklahoma State University
From a college instructor on a hand written note:
"Dear Craig, Thank you very much for doing the hybrid seminar at Fullerton College and allowing the instructors to attend for FREE. Thank goodness for people like you!
Bob Gordon CA.
Craig has practical experience, great presentation skills, and a wonderful sense of humor. Works very well to describe how things actually work.
Bill Cannon, former editor MotorAge Magazine
I took away a 1/2 dozen "Real Pearls"
Tom Nash, former editor for Motor Magazine
March 6, 2004
Craig,
You dah Man!! Great classes this weekend. My Service Writer
learned so much this weekend. I've been telling him the
some of the same things you have taught, sometimes hearing
them from someone else helps. We have started using your
teachings as early as 7:30 this am. We even tried using a
New England accent but offended a few of the Locals here in
the Ozarks. ;-)
Your method of breaking out in groups for discussion helped
us tremendously. We are having a problem keeping our owner
off the phone though. Since he pays the phone bill he feels
like he can call whoever he wants.
Thanks again.
Quack
Alan Quackenbush
Printed in "Import Car":
"Recently our entire service department office staff (made up of four employees) attended two Automotive Management Institute (AMI) seminars presented by Craig Van Batenburg at Rocket Training Center here in Toledo. The seminars were titled "How to Sell Diagnostic Labor and Get Paid for It" and "How to Work with Telephone Price Shoppers and First-Time Customers."
One of Craig's theories includes people who ask "how much" because they don't understand our industry. He suggests for the first visit you conduct an interview so you can qualify the customer and they can understand the terms of your relationship. Craig goes so far as to put his expectations in writing.
I encourage you to visit his website where all his forms are presented (www.auto-careers.org). If you have the opportunity to host any AMI classes in your area I recommend Craig."
Owners: Dan & Kathy Reichow
Location: Toledo, OH
Years in Operation: 18
Number of Bays: 8
Number of Technicians: 5
Repair Specialty: "Complete" Auto Repair, Used Car and Auto Rental
8/04 via E mail Class was "Electrical analysis.. a new model"
I attended one of your classes held in Indianapolis I was with Brown's Autotech my name is Michael C. Dyer. I enjoyed your class very much, and it was right on time. Me and my boss were arguing about voltage drop testing, the newer Fords are horrible for corrosion in the positive cable causing eminent "starter death" I new this and new why and how to check for it and my boss( who thinks he is God The Super Tech ) just couldn't accept the fact this particular Ford truck needed a battery, cable and starter. Hey, I like being right just as much as the next guy. I have an associates degree in automotive technology from Ivy Tech and although they did teach electricity using water flow they also very thoroughly covered the ground side and voltage drop testing. It is a great school and a great bunch of teachers at least in Indy for anyone interested.
Ed Note: I hope his boss doesn't see this!
August 2004 Class was "Telephone price shoppers"
Craig, I really enjoyed your class at Linders and gained a lot of useful information as well as reminding me of things that I have heard in other seminars over the past 20 years of owning my own business. I brought 2 other employees with me Saturday and know that they also found the class very informative. I and my partner were also at the training that you did for PMTA in Lexington, KY a couple of months ago as well as Linder's Conference last year. Thanks for helping us to grow our business.
Complete Automotive Repair Inc.
2336 Palumbo Dr
Lexington, KY 40509
Thanks for everything,
Jim Bailey
President
Complete Automotive Repair Inc.
August, 2004
Craig.
I was in your class because of what I knew I didn't know.
Boy you hit home with many of the things you covered on price shoppers and first time customers.
On the drive home to Michigan Sunday, I began to make changes in my business. I now have an answering machine on both lines & am committed to changing messages twice daily. My phone skills really needed work! I'd forgotten the correct way to answer a phone. Monday morning I turned my first "how much" into an appointment, using what you taught. My second customer "a regular" handed me the keys said "Fix it, I need it by Saturday". I replied as always,"As soon as I get it checked out I'll call you with an estimate." And his reply was and is always the same, "You don't need to call, just do whatever it needs."
Today, Tuesday I had my first price shopper that had their car in another shop. It felt good to be in charge of the conversation and refer them right back to where they were at. And away from the dealer who had lowballed the estimate. I'm looking forward to calling that shop in the morning ( they were already closed tonight).
You had mentioned that you could send some copies of form that we could adapt for my shop, would you send those.
I have been unable to locate Nwzworks or George Zebrecki, can you give me a phone number or email address?
Thanks again for the GREAT class!
Mr. No Employees,
David Taylor
Taylor Automotive
1123 AuSable Rd.
Oscoda, MI 48750
989-739-2277
Hi Craig, just a note to ask for the business forms that you mentioned during our class last weekend.
Class was great and I got to say hi to your son and he seems to be a very fine young man. Thanks for taking the time to present the topics and giving us more ideas and reinforcing what we already know to be the way to conduct business. I learned a lot about Ego and how it can be a problem. Would have liked some role playing on phone technique with phone price shoppers but you did help me realize that it takes practice with the customers to get it right. Some of my problem is not knowing the technical questions to ask when they keep demanding a price. I have now have the "Free Time" technique to try and hope that that will help. Barry one of our owners thinks is a good thing to try.
We area small shop but we still have our employee meeting over lunch and I will be giving a synopsis of why I though it was well worth the time to attend you class.
Thanks again
Barb Franzone
Pro-Tec Auto Repair Inc
479 N. River Road
Naperville Il 60563
Last Updated: 1/7/2010