Instead of attributing this to a hard-nosed business plan, the team says that it has been achieved with "a smile on our faces".
There is a bit more to it than that, of course. As you might expect with any crack national newspaper sales team, there is a lot more to it than selling display ads on the phone.
The Mail on Sunday creative solutions team has generated a multimillion-pound year-on-year revenue. This has been done by creating winning projects for clients such as Sainsbury's, Toyota and Hewlett Packard, integrating the entire Daily Mail & General Trust portfolio of brands, national and regional, print and online.
For the first time ever, advertiser-funded content has been allowed, and the team has responded by creating campaigns for Bonne Maman in its popular magazine for women, You; and Hugo Boss in Live magazine, which is aimed at men. Another first was a coverwrap on You magazine - sold to Marks & Spencer. Getting clients off the phone and out of the office has also paid off for The Mail on Sunday sales team. Live magazine columnists Piers Morgan and James Morgan were persuaded to attend a number of lunches and dinners with clients.
The result was a number of new, premium advertisers, including Bang & Olufsen, Dolce & Gabbana and Porsche.
A new business team has been briefed to find advertisers not advertising in The Mail on Sunday and convert them. This has seen millions in new advertising revenue, including bookings from Lidl after a six-month pitch.
And last but not least, there has been a focus on increasing the volume of solus business for The Mail on Sunday. The team says that this works when budgets are tight, and has resulted in millions of pounds in extra ad revenue for the title, from 250 clients over 12 months.
The team also attributes its success to good team spirit and a passion for the brands that extends through to every sales call and client meeting, as well as the work from the communications team, creating presentations that help bring the brands to life.
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