mivox - 8:18 pm on Sep 28, 2001 (gmt 0)

LOSS LEADER

Commonly mis-typed as "lost leader"

A project or promotion that loses money in and of itself, but leads people to the primary product/service...
"The free web graphics site was a loss leader for the company's custom graphic design services."

Don't know if I got the origin of the phrase right, but the general meaning and correct spelling are all there.