He urged booksellers to befriend staff members at local churches to gain their loyalty and to boost sales of church supplies such as vacation Bible school materials, Bible-study guides, quarterly curriculums, and consumables such as candles and communion glasses.

“There's less competition,” he said. “Wal-Mart will never carry this stuff.”

Wallington suggested holding special events-a breakfast during Pastor Appreciation Month or distributing gift cards to church secretaries. In one campaign, this prompted 215 secretaries to visit his store.

Bob Bever, vice president of sales at Group Publishing, advised booksellers to learn about trends affecting churches. For example, attendance at megachurches is up 57% in five years.

Brad Nilsen, director of sales at Cook Communications, encouraged retailers to have an overall mission statement for their business and ones for each department. “It helps keep your goal in mind at all times.”

Kelly Becker, Cook's senior sales director, emphasized the need for synergy. “What we can do together is better than what we can do alone,” she said. “Synergize with the churches in your area. Find out what's going on and their challenges.”