Don Cooper speaks to small business owners on Wednesday evening at Morgan Community College about his program “The Myth of Price.” Cooper was the first to speak in a series of seminars called “Boost Your Business” put on by the City of Fort Morgan. (Photo by Zant Reyez/The Fort Morgan Times)

Don Cooper, The Sales Heretic, has been in the sales realm since he was a toddler back in California years ago.

His father owned an A&W fast food restaurant where he worked behind the cash register, manned the grill, and whatever else was needed of him. At the age of seven, he was going door-to-door in his neighborhood selling greeting cards and whatever else he could find.

“I’ve been in business since I was a kid,” Cooper said.

On Wednesday evening at Morgan Community College, Cooper was the first speaker in the “Boost Your Business” seminar series put on by the City of Fort Morgan.

In his program titled “The Myth of Price,” he spoke to business owners about how they can set pricing for their goods accordingly.

“Too many people tend to discount more than they should, and for a small business owner, that’s really dangerous because most businesses have a very small profit margin,” Cooper said. “The average business’ profit margin in America is only 6.5 percent.”

At 5:30 p.m. he began speaking to the attendees about how he’s worked with companies such as Costco and a slew of well-known names. He told them that for decades price has always been presented as the most important factor when it came to buying goods.

“But that is a myth,” he sternly said.

After his brief introduction, he had attendees gather their things and find a new seat somewhere in the first three rows next to someone they didn’t know. He didn’t do this for the sake of wanting to mix things up, though.

“You never know who you’re going to meet,” he said.

After everyone had a new seat next to a new face, Cooper started talking about price and value. He said only 14 percent of customers buy something based on price and value is solely dependent on the individual.

He said he hopes those that heard him on Wednesday evening took away the fact that they can charge more than they think they can and that offering discounts doesn’t have to be a solution.

Cooper, who has been speaking to business-minded people about his program for over 15 years, responded with a tremendous thrill when asked if it’s all worth it when he hears feedback on how his words helped a business.

“That is the best thing,” he said.