It is always interesting because the cost of my service over the space of the year is so, so little in comparison to what they are spending on pretty much anything else, and it brings value back to them and can often save them money.
That's absolutely true - but you need a long-term-mindset for that. There is spending, and there is investment. And as a business owner, one always has to be able to make the case for an investment. In harsh times, there sometimes just is no money for investment, since the current costs are too high. And rent, employees and material are usually better investments than consultants.
I myself usually go the other way around, like Adam Smith said. In good times, I save up - usually it's too high of a workload anyway to be able to research investments and see if they make sense. In bad times, I do just that - I look at how the last high season went, what didn't work out and how to improve it, and if there's a way to deploy capital to that and make a good return.
Exactly. Where I would be of value for an organisation in this situation though is, I can help them maintain and retain some of their key people from leaving, or losing productivity. It isn't just those who lose their job that are affected, those who remain have issues too.
When its raining and everyone is looking for cover - it is good to be able to work in the mud
That is a very interesting skill. I never got into that position, the key people get paid too well to be wanting to leave. But I always worked differently than the regular business system, so I might not be the best to use as an average :-D
Wish you all the best for the job, and may it bring a lot more!