Excel formulas without equal sign

I would like to find a way to enter a formula without using the equal sign.
Example: enter “100*1.2”
The markup changes for each line depending on the item. Our secretary can enter the numbers extremely fast but it slows her down to go over to the equal sign before each entry.
It would also slow her down to enter the amounts in different columns depending on the markup.
Does anybody have any ideas for this?
Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Drew