With one league match still to play, against Edinburgh on May 5, Treviso have seven wins to their name, two shy of the nine they notched up in finishing tenth last year.
Yet the Italians' eight bonus points this term mean they currently sit in ninth - one league place higher than in their first season.
On Sunday, Treviso were leading the fourth-placed Glasgow Warriors with five minutes to go before a try fromreturning Canadian wing DTH van der Merwe snatched the win out of their grasp.
After the match head coach Smith lamented his side's finishing but insisted that once rectified Treviso will be able to continue their upward trajectory in the RaboDirect PRO12 table.
"We created a lot in that game and it was a shame about the rain because with the ball in hand we seemed really strong and we also controlled the game," he said.
"We've definitely improved this year, we're almost there, we just need a bit more faith.
"I think the thing we must we learn is that eight times against Glasgow we were within five metres of their line without scoring.
"This season that's happened against Ulster, against Saracens, against Connacht, and against the Ospreys - too often in those games we had our chances dashed.
"But the thing that gives me a lot of pleasure, even though we were beaten in all these games was that the intensity and the commitment was perfect - last year those qualities weren't so evident.
"The rain reduced our chances but we have to learn to take those lesser chances, that's the lesson for next season."
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