Firms do best clients' work ... for free

WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) -- Some U.S. small-business owners have begun working for their best clients for free, hoping to earn post-recession payoffs, a small-business advocate says.

"There's a whole bunch of this stuff going on out there," National Small Business Administration President Todd McCracken told USA Today.

One information technology vendor recently gave his national small-business advocacy organization five free computers, worth more than $6,000, to retain its business for the long term, he told the newspaper.

The percentage of the 27 million U.S. businesses taking the unconventional actions is still small, but the wave is crossing industries, USA Today said.

These businesses are not bartering or doing pro-bono work. They are simply offering free work to clients that matter most, the newspaper said.

"This is absolutely amazing," Arizona State University management professor David Van Fleet said. "It's all about keeping personal relationships with clients."

But he warned that businesses "have to be very, very cautious, because when things pick up -- and you start charging -- you've got to open negotiations all over again."