What they want, in my experience, is a guarantee that spending money will improve the position of the company. If it doesn't have a big payoff, then the money will not be spent. When times are good, the company can ride the wave of the industry but when times are bad, the management demands a return. Sales must go up. Profits are critical.
Every penny counts.
Cutting costs becomes an important part of the operations of the company. It is obvious. Usability is an extremely effective cost cutting tool. Usability helps designers create more simple products. Simple products are cheaper to build.