I love clicker training! Once the dog learns that click=reward, it is amazing to see how fast and eager they are to learn.
I used a clicker and food rewards to teach my dog so many things. We got Lupi as a 4 week old rescue puppy (not especially bright and definitely socially challenged) At 5 weeks I taught her to sit. By 6 weeks she knew sit, lay down and shake a paw. By 6 months she knew leave it, come, go to your bed, stay, wait, take it, turn, bring me a toy and many more, including ringing a bell to be let outside.
At this point, Lupi knows just about every trick in the book and excelled at obedience and agility, all thanks to clicker training. Every instructor I've ever had remarks on Lupi's focus and incredible work ethic. It's because she LOVES "working" and that's because she associates obedience with positive things.
As soon as I get out the clicker, Lupi gets excited. I typically don't do much luring, but rather "capture" the behavior I like, with the clicker, or a verbal reward marker, followed by food.
For instance, I "taught" Lupi roll-over by catching her rolling on the grass one day, praising like mad and giving her a piece of sandwich meat I happened to be eating. It took only two times of catching her rolling and rewarding her, for her to learn the trick.
I only use the clicker when initially teaching something new, then I switch to praise and treats until the behavior is really well ingrained. After that, I phase out the treats, only using them once in a while to reinforce the behavior.
"Clicker training" isn't really about the clicker itself. You can use any word or sound to mark the behavior you want. It's about a style of training that focuses on positive reinforcement, and teaching dogs to think for themselves, rather than simply avoid punishment. Because they are rewarded for creative thinking, dogs trained this way end up becoming very quick-learners. They also develop a confidence that enables them to enjoy the world more.