Dangle a carrot in front of someone

Dangle a carrot in front of someone

To offer a reward, incentive, or motivation to someone in order to encourage them to do something or to induce desired behavior.

The company dangled a carrot in front of its employees by offering bonuses for meeting certain sales targets.

He dangled a carrot in front of his children, promising a trip to the amusement park if they did well in their exams.