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Heartland Payment Systems - Sales Director

Company: Heartland Payment Systems, Inc., Princeton, NJ
Company Description: Heartland provides payment processing services to 155,000 merchants throughout the U.S. Processing its first card transaction on July 15, 1997 with an investment of $1 million. After the most successful IPO in the the payments industry, Heartland has become the sixth largest payment processor in the U.S, processing $60 billion of annual processing volume and employees over 2,400 employees.
Nomination Category: Best Individual Performance
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Director of the Year

Nomination Title: Irina Haydon, Executive Director of Sales, Heartland Payment Systems, Inc.

  • How many people are in your organization's entire sales department?

    1,590

  • What were your organization's sales during the eligibility period? If this figure is confidential, simply enter "Confidential" in this space:

    1.26 Billion

  • Describe the nominee's top 3 accomplishments during the eligibility period (up to 100 words):

    1. Record breaking growth (all markets) YTD 34%, 6 mos. 52%, Oct 67%,. 
    Irina is the first Director 50% of the way to earning a cash bonus up to
    $1,000,000 (40% growth over 12 month period) and is expected to be the first
    to earn this exceptional award, Q2-2008.

    2. Leading underperforming market of 8 states from last to #1(4/8) times
    since assuming leadership in January 2007.

    3. Doubling of management infrastructure adding 22 managers,
    simultaneously doubling the size of the sales to over 200. Launch of the 120
    day Heartland Achievement Institute, supporting new hire training and
    retention of her recruiting.

  • List the nominee's top 3 lessons learned during the eligibility period (up to 100 words):

    1.  How to best use self-assessment tools and 360 degree feedback with the 
    management team to identify and lift up key strengths of each manager, while
    also sharing weaknesses in a constructive manner for improvement, allowing the
    team to work together and support one another more cohesively.

    2. When searching top sales talent, that behavioral traits are more
    significant to their success in our commission model than skill. Skill can be
    taught.

    3. How to teach the team to restructure activities eliminating minutia that
    provides no progress and steals time and focus specifically on activities
    driving productivity and team unity.

  • Briefly describe the qualities that distinguish the nominee from other Sales Directors (up to 100 words):

    Irina does not understand the word fail, demonstrating incredible ability to 
    build, unite and turn around teams others would run from. She is one of the
    best I have seen at uniting and leading a team to victory. Every assignment
    given at every level of management has led to #1 in less than one year. Her
    leadership elevates the success of her teams and contributes to our
    organization immensely. Those qualities have taken her from street sales to
    one of the most esteemed sales leaders at Heartland in just 7 years. She’s is
    and inspiration and living example of the American Dream.

  • Provide a brief biography of the nominee (up to 100 words):

    Emigrating from Rumania in 1988 she was reunited with her family after nine 
    years of separation as a Rumanian Gymnast. Graduating from ASU her
    entrepreneurialism started businesses in fitness before entering sales
    management at Bally's, Reno-Air and Equinox. Hearing the entrepreneurial call
    she opened two successful restaurants and became a Heartland customer.
    Joining HPS May of 2000 she quickly earned RM Hall of Fame status, moving into
    management. She has consistently taken teams across the US from worst to #1
    in every level of management in less than one year: Territory (CA), Division
    (NJ), Regional (NY) and now Executive Director of Sales.