Sourced from australianit.news.com Sensis AustraliaSENSIS has all the ingredients to be the most important player in Australia’s information economy.Its challenge is to combine them into something that’s irresistible.

The staples in the recipe are its online directory and advertising products: White Pages, Yellow Pages, Whereis and the lucrative Trading Post. The not-so-secret herbs and spices are its search assets: the people and expertise acquired from LookSmart.

Sensis has mighty assets that extend its reach to almost every business in Australia. The most obvious one is its Yellow Pages directory and sales force, providing it with the unique ability to connect with even the smallest businesses once a year to discuss products and services.

If Sensis gets its message right, and is subtle in up-selling customers from directory listings and advertisements to online linkages, content management and richer e-commerce services, this will translate into big revenue. Hundreds of e-commerce and online service ventures have died ugly deaths as a result of failing to connect with Australian business people.

Sensis, on the other hand, is connected to most of them and has been wondering how to take full advantage of that. While others have been hosting elaborate dinner parties to which nobody turns up, Sensis is starting with guests at the table and a kitchen stuffed with the best ingredients.

It only needs to serve something delicious for everyone to keep coming back for more.