SO stands for Independent Sales Organization. At least that was the nomenclature chosen by VISA in the late '80s during the creation of the regulations requiring registration of our companies. MasterCard later coined the term MSP - Merchant Service Provider.

ISO or MSP. It doesn't matter. Salespeople 'R Us - that's who we really are. We are the outsourced sales engines of our sponsor bank members and all of the vendors of processing services, equipment and software. We are the people who understand the value of different products and payment services. We are the people who build valuable portfolios because of our knowledge, tenacity and yearn to earn.

In our business we don't grow until somebody sells something. In this day and age if you aren't growing, your business is eroding. It took me a long time to understand the "grow or die" theory, but I reluctantly have come to believe it is true.

So how do you say thank you to the individual entrepreneurs who built your company into the 57th-fastest-growing company in the U.S.? What is an adequate way to say thank you to a sales team that sold, installed and serviced $20 billion of small and medium-size merchant contracts in less than 60 months? How do you reward folks for such an amazing accomplishment?

It comes down to three things, really - integrity, money and respect. Like everyone else, our individuals want to work for a company they are proud of, and they want to be paid handsomely for a job well done. But each of us also wants to be treated with respect and to be given credit and to be recognized for what we achieve. All of us also want to be pointed in a direction that is inspiring for us so that we are on the path to a great future for our careers and for our families.

There is an entire industry built around recognition and awards. Today's sales awards include trips, cash, clothing, watches, briefcases, paperweights, crystal ware, jewelry, the ubiquitous wall plaque and tons of other trinkets and tokens. Of course, a timely "thank you" or "great job" also is well received if it is sincere.

But when you have been around the track lots of times and the AARP mailings started coming long ago and 60 doesn't seem "that old" anymore, it is time to start thinking about a very special way to say thank you to the people who are responsible for your success.

A couple of months ago, Mike Hammer, Heartland's Chief Marketing Officer, and I commissioned an outstanding artist, Charles Pabst, to paint a series of three paintings symbolizing the long journey up the mountains and eventually to the highest peak in the mountain range.

The journey starts with a couple of hikers who have found their way "Out of the Woods" and for the first time have a clear view of "Inspiration Point." The second painting shows these same two hikers having attained the peak they had seen, but they are beaconed by the highest mountaintop in the entire range.

The third painting, "Journey's Reflections," is a view from the very top looking back to "Inspiration Point" and back to the very woods that marked the genesis of the long upward march to a remarkably difficult but successful journey.

These paintings were presented to the Heartland organization after a companywide dinner celebration at the Huber Orchard Winery in downstate Indiana a few weeks ago. If there ever has been a more inspiring sales celebration, I haven't seen it. All of the vested salespeople in the company were presented with a copy of "Out of the Woods," as were all five-year non-sales employees.

"Inspiration Point" was presented to the grizzled veterans who had attained a defined earnings mark, and "Journey's Reflections" was presented to the longtime salespeople and staff who had built a specific level of stock, stock options and portfolio equity.

These paintings were reproduced by computer with original oil paint in a process known as Giclee (similar to that used by the Kincaid studios). It is impossible to distinguish the original oil painting from each unique copy. Each recipient also was presented with a booklet that included color prints of all three paintings and a copy of the presentation comments for each of the paintings as well as the story of the origin of the ideas developed by the Carr-Hammer-Pabst team.

So this is how we decided to create a special legacy of recognition for the producers and achievers who build our company. The uniqueness of the award is that it symbolizes the stages of growth achieved by both individuals and by the company, and it reflects the originality of our sales model.

It is something that cannot be duplicated, and it will only be meaningful to those who have been part of the growth. Now everyone, new and old, is eligible to win each of the three paintings as they build their portfolios, wealth and careers with Heartland.

As these paintings have been shipped and uncrated by our folks across the country, the letters and e-mails of appreciation have not been far behind. There are lots of walls in living rooms and offices across the United States that provide a heartfelt thank you to the people who have built a remarkable company in just five years. We look forward to awarding many more paintings to existing and new professionals over the coming years.

(To see color copies of the paintings, to read the story behind these paintings and to read the narratives for each of the paintings, visit www.hpsteammates.com/roc)

Editor's note: Since its inception, The Green Sheet has focused on providing information to support ISOs. I asked Bob Carr to write the following article when I heard about his unique incentive program. I felt as if this program would be of interest to our readers and that it might inspire other sales-team leaders to think "outside the box" when designing their incentive programs.

- Paul Green